The Last Ring
by Doomson
Summary: Moments before his destruction, the Dark Lord Sauron set a plan in motion for his eventual return to the world. Millenia pass as the world evolves from Middle Earth to the age of bending. Avatar Aang and his friends had emerged victorious against the Fire Nation however the balance of the world will once again be threatened by the Dark Lord's eventual return.
1. Chapter 1: The Omen

I. The Omen

Twenty millennia have passed since the Dark Lord Sauron was defeated by the Fellowship of the Ring. The people of the twenty fourth age had reached an era of industrialization. The animals that still roamed the wild evolved into creatures that were made out of two species. People even began to bend the four elements of water, earth, fire, and air and eventually nations were formed out these different practices: The Air Nomads, the Water Tribe, the Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. The Air Nomads were a race of monks who lived a spiritual life in the high mountains. The Water Tribe was made up of two tribes, one in the North Pole and the other residing in the South Pole. Their culture relied on water and ice and had little use for machines. The Earth Kingdom was comprised of individual kingdoms spread out all over the land. Their palaces and cities were built entirely out of earth and they also had no need for modern technology. The Fire Nation, however, was the most industrialized race located on a large land mass surrounded by volcanic islands. Together the four nations shared peace and harmony that had lasted for hundreds of years.

But this peace did not last forever. The era of peace ended when a comet from outer space flew over the Fire Nation. With the appearance of this comet, the Fire Nation's ruler, Fire lord Sozin, had a vision of the world that existed twenty thousand years ago. In his vision, he witnessed a history beyond his knowledge. It revealed a story about a Dark Lord known as Sauron. This deceptive, powerful, warrior-king launched a conquest of the world with massive armies and a special tool of his own making that gave him ultimate power. It was known as the One Ring of power, into which he poured his will to dominate all life. The ring had been lost after a battle and it was found by his enemies, the free peoples of that land. A brave group called the Fellowship of the Ring, which was made up of all the races of the land, set out to destroy the ring where it had been made, in Sauron's dark kingdom of Mordor. His forces battled them relentlessly, nearly destroying them. Yet, through great determination and reliance on one another, the Fellowship of the Ring succeeded in destroying the ring, ending Sauron's plans for world domination. However, during his downfall Sauron was able to use the remaining part of his dark magic to set a future rise to power in motion. He poured half of it into creating a second ring of power; a ring that was far stronger than the previous one. The last of of his power was used to grant certain creatures the ability to bend elements, and after many generations man would learn the art of bending from them. Once the Dark Lord's magic was gone, he faded away, but his spirit endured as long as the new ring survived. Fire Lord Sozin could not see in his vision where the ring had been hidden, and then his vision ended.

Now that Sozin knew this missing part of his people's heritage, he was bewildered and began to imagine a new destiny for his nation. He realized that man's ability to bend the elements was a gift from the Dark Lord. The Air Nomads learned airbending from flying creatures called sky bisons. The Water Tribe learned waterbending from the Moon Spirit who took the form of a Coi fish. Huge earth creatures known as badger moles had taught the people of the Earth Kingdom the ways of bending earth. Sozin's great Fire Nation had acquired the art of firebending from the dragons who had survived the many ages. The very existence of the four nations was a result of Sauron's magic. Fire Lord Sozin now felt a sense of allegiance to this Dark Lord and believed that the vision was a sign to take on Sauron's will and fulfill his rise to power.

After informing his chief advisers of the significance of his vision, he began a new plan for the nation. He would conquer the other nations under the banner of the Fire Nation, to prepare the world for the coming of Sauron. In doing so, he would search for the One Ring and protect it until the time of the Dark Lord's return. Sozin and his army of fire benders, using their breath of chi were able to harness the power of the comet as it burned in the heavens and this increased their bending abilities to a level greater than ever before. With their new strength, the Fire Nation declared war and began to attack the other nations one by one.

During this time of war, the Air, Water, and Earth nations believed that a spiritual being, with the power to bend all four elements could stop the Fire Nation and restore peace. This spiritual being was called the Avatar. It was known that the Avatar had appeared in different generations and in each of the nations. But at this time of war he had not appeared. The Fire Nation was aware that the Avatar would likely be born into the Air Nomads so they concentrated their fire power on eliminating the air bending monks. But the Avatar could not be found in the attack. The Fire Nation took control over most of the world, but the comet's power was temporary so their ability diminished and they could not finish the war. Ever since that time the Fire Nation was considered an enemy to the other civilized nations. They would continue to worship Sauron as a god and carry out the preparations for his return to the world.


	2. Chapter 2: Awakening

II. Awakening

A hundred years passed since Sozin's reign and the war continued. Sozin's grandson Ozai ruled as the Fire Lord, upholding the belief in Sauron and the Fire Nation's destiny. Somewhere, in the South Pole the Southern Water Tribe's men were leaving to help the earth benders fight against fire benders. That duty of protecting the village was left to the tribal chief's young children: a fifteen year old warrior named Sokka and his sister Katara, a young waterbender. The brother and sister had a strong loving bond, but they were very contentious towards one another. Katara often complained how Sokka was prone to laziness and bull headed. Sokka felt that Katara's waterbending was useless and that she was more suited to household responsibilities.

One late afternoon as the sun was sinking low on the ice tundra, the brother and sister set out fishing through the glaciers. Sokka found a fish and prepared to skewer it. At the same time, Katara used her waterbending to catch one of her own.

"Sokka," said Katara as she pulled up her catch with a wave of her hand. "Look, at this!"

"Shut up!" Sokka barked. "I am trying to concentrate!"

As he raised his spear for the kill, the shaft ruptured the water sphere that held Katara's fish. The water splashed on Sokka's head, allowing both fishes to get away.

"Oh, see what you did!" complained Sokka. "Whenever you use your magic, I end up wet and my job always gets thrown off."

"It's not magic! It's waterbending!" Katara explained. "It's our…"

"... I know, I know, our cultural fighting style. That's the hundredth time you've said that. You ought to stick to duties best suited for women. Those jobs are cleaning up the house, cooking the meals, and washing the clothes. While men do the real work."

"Maybe if YOU actually worked everything would be a lot more smoother."

"And what is that supposed to mean?!"

" _I_ make the house neat. _I_ wash all the clothes. _I_ cook all the meals. And what are you doing?! Sitting around and swinging your spear all day!"

"I train the younger ones to become warriors. That is MY job!"

"Train them for what? A battle with fire benders that will happen in ten years? You just like showing off."

"You never know when the Fire Nation could attack. We need to be strong and able when they do."

"What everyone needs is for you to get off your lazy butt and actually help!"

"Oh, for crying out loud. Shut up woman!"

Katara was enraged by Sokka's obnoxious attitude. But little did they realize that because of her emotion and her talent as a waterbender the glaciers around them had begun to crack.

"That does it! From now on you are on your own!" Katara shouted folding her arms and turning her back on him.

"Look out!" Sokka warned.

A large glacier had splintered into pieces and was raining ice shards on them! The pieces kept falling until a big shard landed in the middle of their boat. The boat broke in half and both of them were flung onto floating ice. Then a large frozen, glowing sphere floated to the top. The brother and sister were bedazzled while clinging to the ice floe. After the water had calmed down, Katara and Sokka skipped along the ice towards the strange glowing sphere. Once they reached it, they caught sight of what looked like a boy meditating within. Speechless, Sokka could not restrain his curiosity and lightly poked a small hole in the ice with his spear. The hole suddenly expanded into a bigger one. Sokka and Katara backed away as the ice sphere cracked open. At the top of the sphere, a blue beam of light shot into the air, illuminating the sunset sky.

Once the light disappeared, the sphere collapsed into piles of ice. Sokka and Katara stood amazed and then climbed up the heap of ice. They saw a wondrous sight. An enormous white furred bison creature with two long horns on its head, a saddle strapped to its back, a flat tail, six legs, and a brown arrow marking on the top of its head, lay face down in the snow. Alongside the bison was a small bald headed boy who lay on his back with his eyes closed. He was dressed in a light tunic and had a tattoo in the shape of an arrow on his head as well. He looked to be about twelve years of age. Sokka and Katara slid down beside this strange boy. His skin was blue from the cold but he was still breathing faintly.

"He looks like he is still alive." said Katara. "We should take him to the village and nurse him back to health."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute little sister." Sokka warned. "What if he's Fire Nation? What if that light that appeared was meant to signal them?"

"Sokka! This boy is nearly frozen. I seriously don't think that he's Fire Nation. We have to help him!"

"Alright, alright, have it your way. But we don't have a boat anymore thanks to your magic. How are we supposed to get back?"

The bison creature suddenly began to grumble. Sokka raised his spear to it. The strange animal rose sluggishly to a proper footing.

"What is this thing?!" asked Katara.

"I have no idea." answered Sokka.

The white animal let out a sneeze that sent out green snot covering Sokka. Yelping in disgust, Sokka dove into the water. After he crawled out, he was freezing cold.

"Big brother," Katara laughed. "Did you by any chance forget that the water is ice cold?"

Sokka remained silent, except for his teeth chattering in this moment of idiocy. Then the white bison sniffed the unconscious boy. Next he turned his face to Katara.

"Katara, get away from that thing!" Sokka ordered.

But the animal only licked her with its long tongue.

"I think he likes me." Katara chuckled.

She scratched his head and the bison purred.

"And I like him back." she added.

"Well, that makes one of us." Sokka shivered. "Anyway, how are we going to get back to the village?"

The bison, seeming to understand Sokka's predicament, leaped off the ice and into the water with his head facing forward. The two siblings looked at each other considering this option of travel.

"Well, it's better than swimming." Katara pointed out.

Sokka and Katara picked up the boy and climbed aboard the bison. After they had sat down, Katara pointed her finger in the direction of their village. The big animal let out a small snort and began swimming.

After the sun had sunk beneath the cold glaciers, the moon shone high to light their way. Sokka and Katara and the sleeping boy arrived back late that night on the top of the bison and found the whole village asleep, save their grandmother, Kanna, who they called Gran Gran. The elderly woman was astonished at the sight of the furry beast. They dismounted the bison, carrying the boy, and placed him safely on the snow. Kanna walked out to meet them.

"Where have you two been?" their grandmother demanded.

"Our boat was destroyed thanks to Katara's magic." Sokka replied. "So we had to catch a ride on this bison creature."

"We found this boy trapped in an iceberg." Katara explained. "We could not just leave him there to freeze so we brought him with us."

The old woman bent down in the snow and gazed at the unconscious boy. Her grey eyes were fixed on the strange arrow tattoo on his head.

"It was good that you brought him here. Take him inside and we will take care of him."

They lifted the boy up and took him inside their tent.

Night passed and the sun rose high above the village of the Southern Water Tribe, which was located by the edge of the sea. The village was encircled by a mound of snow that stood fifteen feet high. The tents were arranged in a scattered fashion closer to the sides of the walls, leaving a large area in the center, where there was a pit for a communal bonfire. The absence of the warrior men reduced the population of the southern tribe to elders, women, and children. Unlike their sister tribe in the North Pole, which was inhabited by thousands, this small southern band numbered no more than thirty without their men. Through the long history of war with the Fire Nation, the Southern Tribe had sustained many attacks and raids, resulting in their water benders being abducted or killed. This had left the tribe mostly defenseless except for the warrior men who were now far away fighting the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom. Sokka and his sister Katara did most of the hunting and fishing now that they were teenagers. Today like most days, the people were dressed in their traditional seal fur coats and leggings and were out on the ice going about their daily chores. Women kept fires lit, cooked and mended tents, while the elders watched the children run and play in the snow.

Katara was out making hot soup. Once the soup was done, she walked to her tent to offer a bowl to the boy. She found Sokka and Kanna sitting with the boy, who was now awake.

"Hello." Katara greeted.

"Hi there." said the boy. "Your brother and grandmother have already explained how you saved me. Thank you."

Katara smiled and handed him the hot bowl of soup. He took it gratefully in his hands and began drinking.

"So. What's your name?" asked Katara.

"My name is Aang."

"Where are you from and how did you wind up all the way out here?" Sokka questioned.

"I ran away from my home, the Southern Air Temple."

The others appeared dumbstruck, while Aang went on cheerfully.

"I was just a little upset. But I'm fine now. I'd better head back soon."

"You're from the Southern Air Temple?!" Kanna exclaimed.

Aang nodded.

"But that cannot be. Those tattoos. Are you an... air bender?"

Aang twirled his hand around and a small gust of wind rotated in his palm. Sokka, Katara, and Kanna stared in amazement at the small tornado twisting before them. Never had they seen this type of bending before in their lives.

"That's impossible!" Sokka blurted out. "I thought the airbenders were extinct!"

"Extinct?!" Aang asked.

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed at her brother's rudeness.

Then from outside, came a bellowing roar. Aang sprang to his feet at the sound of this familiar call and dashed out of the tent. Katara and the others followed. They found the bison creature licking Aang with his large tongue. Aang was not alone with the animal. The village children had taken a liking to him and were not afraid, climbing all over its white furred body. One boy bounced off the flat of the great tail, while the youngest toddler nuzzled in its soft fur. The bison was not irritated in the slightest by them, all of its joy and attention was fixed on Aang.

"Good to see you too Appa!" Aang burst out laughing, while being licked by the massive tongue.

"So this creature belongs to you." Sokka surmised.

"Yep. This is Appa. My flying bison."

Sokka cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. " _Flying_? Yeah right. More like a snot machine if you ask me. That reminds me, would you mind telling Appa to apologize for sneezing on me earlier?!"

Abruptly, a loud horn boomed from the water. Every villager turned their head to see the source of the sound. A great iron ship was sailing towards their shores. The bow was shaped like a long spike and smoke plumed from a tall black chimney. Atop the tower of a deck house flew a red flag with a fire emblem. The villagers began to panic. The elderly women herded the children into the tents.

"Fire Nation!" Sokka declared in a hostile tone.

Katara trembled and was astonished at the coming of the black ship. Appa sniffed the air curiously, while Aang puzzled at the sight.

The iron ship docked in the icy harbor. The long spike of the bow lowered as a gangway. Out of the ship marched fifteen firebenders, armored in red plates, helms that covered their faces with white masks, and in their hands were long bronze-tipped spears. Ten troops secured the perimeter of the village, while five of them walked to the center.

"What's going on?" asked Aang as he stood watching the spectacle.

"Quiet." Katara warned, moving in front of him. "Stay behind me and keep out of sight." Several of the more apprehensive villagers got behind Sokka and Katara, which blocked Aang's view.

A lone fire bender stepped out of the group of five. He removed his red helmet to reveal a black ponytail that adorned a bald head. His skin was pale, his eyes were golden, although on his left eye, was a large scar that spread to his ear. It was an ugly, red blemish on his white skin. The firebender was no more than sixteen years old but his golden eyes held hostility within them.

Aang was impatient and kept shifting his position to get a better view of the lone fire bender. The young warrior instantly caught sight of Aang's air bending tattoos and stopped in his tracks.

"You there!" He barked. "What's your name?"

Katara looked panicked as Aang jumped out in full view. "My name is Aang." Aang answered casually. "Who are you?"

"I am Zuko. Son of Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne."

Sokka bristled from the small crowd, gripping his whale toothed spear in one hand and his blade of a boomerang in the other. "What do you want here?" Sokka demanded.

Zuko pointed his finger at Aang. "I know who you are Avatar!"

That name took Sokka, Katara, and the rest of the tribe by surprise. They stared at Aang, whose face became sullen. The firebenders who encircled the village changed position from the mound of snow to within the village.

"You're coming with me in my ship air bender. I'm taking you back to the Fire Nation. Come obediently or else!"

"Or else what?" Aang questioned.

Zuko nodded at another firebender. Understanding the gesture, the soldier hurled a flame at a small family that was huddling together against a tent. They screamed as the flames singed their clothing.

Zuko fixed his fierce, golden eyes back on Aang. "Or else I'll burn down this village!"

Aang looked around at the terrified women, children, and elders. He would not let these innocent people be harmed on his account. "Fine. Have it your way. Just don't harm anyone."

Two firebenders marched up to Aang, grabbed him by both his arms, and marched him toward the ship. Appa roared at this and began to charge.

Aang looked back as he was pushed. "No Appa! Stay here!"

Appa growled in frustration. The firebenders withdrew from their positions and boarded their ship, along with Aang. The spiked gangway pulled up once they were inside. The engines began rumbling, smoke rose from the black chimney, and the iron ship left the harbor.


	3. Chapter 3: The Avatar

III. The Avatar

As the sun reached its height in the afternoon, the village was trying to recover from the attack. Standing on the mound of snow that circled the village, Katara stared out at the sea, clutching her crystal blue necklace that once belonged to her mother. A distant memory came back to her. A memory of a fire nation attack when she was seven. Although the raiders outnumbered the water tribe warriors, the warriors could hold their own against them. But amidst the valiant fighting, her mother was killed by the fire benders. She would not allow a tragedy like that ever to occur again. She knew that they must save Aang.

Katara descended the mound and strode to her tent. When she entered, she found Sokka eating a plate of seal blubber.

"Sokka we have to..."

"Shh! Not while I'm eating." Sokka answered.

Katara walked up to him and smacked the blubber out of his palm.

"Hey what was that for!?" Sokka complained.

Katara looked at him with her blue eyes squared. "Pay attention when I'm talking to you!"

"Alright, alright, I'll listen. But is it really worth smacking my lunch out of my hand onto the cold floor?" Sokka stared in disbelief at the ruined meat.

"We have to save Aang. He saved us, now we have to save him."

"I know what you're getting at little sister. But how exactly do we plan on catching a warship?"

Katara had not thought about that. Then she heard Appa's cry outside their tent. Without a word she dashed out.

"Oh boy. Here we go." Sokka sighed.

Sokka came out and saw Katara sitting on Appa's head with reins in her hands.

"Aang said that Appa can fly." She called down to Sokka. "Now we can see if it's true."

"I still doubt it," Sokka disputed. "But perhaps our chances of catching up with them will be better than rowing in a canoe."

Sokka climbed up the furry legs into the saddle on Appa's back. A moment later, their grandmother appeared in front of Appa.

"I see you've made up your minds." Kanna spoke sternly.

They both stayed silent knowing that she would not let them go. Surprisingly, Kanna hurled up a bag of food and sleeping bags into the saddle.

"That bag has a week's worth of food. Ration it carefully." Kanna advised.

"Gran Gran?" Katara asked.

"I knew you would go and rescue him. Your fates have now been tied with that boy. He is the Avatar, the one for which we have been waiting a hundred years. He is the only hope for this world to have peace. Go now and help him."

All of their lives, their overprotective grandmother had forbidden them from doing anything that put their lives in danger. They were all she had left since the death of her daughter and she could not risk losing them. Now with the appearance of the air bender in their home and the fact that it was Sokka and Katara who discovered him, she knew that her grandchildren's lives were about to change. She had to be strong and trust them to their new destiny.

"Thanks Gran Gran." Both Sokka and Katara uttered together.

Katara snapped the reins and to their surprise Appa ascended into the air. Filled with excitement in their hearts, they flew off into the sky to save Aang.

After an hour of interrogation, Zuko's men were escorting Aang to the prison hold on the warship. As they reached his cell, Aang unleashed a blast of wind from his mouth and knocked his captors into the wall. He got a hold of a blade and cut the rope that held his hands together. Zuko had taken his staff and Aang could not leave without it. He ran down the red lit corridor, searching every cabin. Finally, he came into a large cabin, it had a Fire Nation insignia hung on the wall, a black mattress, and his staff. He dashed into the room and grabbed his staff. But he heard the sound of a door shut behind him. He turned around and there stood Zuko.

"It seems I underestimated you," said Zuko while raising his hand and creating a red flame.

"Wait!" Aang held out his staff defensively. "I have questions I want to ask you."

Zuko doused the flame in his hand. "What kind of questions?"

"How did you find me? Why did you firebenders raid the Southern Water Tribe? The four nations live in peace."

Zuko scoffed at the ignorant statement. "When you emerged from that ice berg, I caught sight of the beam of light. I knew from that moment that it had to be the Avatar, and I was right."

"Okay but still, why would firebenders attack and be treated like enemies?"

"How long do you think you were in that iceberg?"

"A few days perhaps."

"Wrong! You were in that iceberg for a hundred years."

Aang froze at that information.

"But that's... that's impossible!"

"During those hundred years, the Fire Nation began a war with all the other nations. We wanted to share our greatness with the world and the only way to do that was by conquest. The Fire Nation searched for you, but you were never found. Now the answer to your disappearance is clear. You've been asleep for a whole century."

Aang shrank back in the corner, stunned at the implication. If he had been frozen for a hundred years, then all of his friends were no longer alive; the monks, the masters from the monastery, who had recognized him at the age of three and the people he had met in his travels all over the world. Not only that but the world he once knew would have changed as well.

"I can't believe it." Aang murmured solemnly.

"Alright then if that's the only question you wanted..."

"No, I have one more. You said that you were the prince of the Fire Nation. If that's true, what are you doing so far away from home?"

Zuko gritted his teeth at that question. His fists clenched and steam blew from his nostrils. Then he pointed with his left hand at his scar.

"You see this scar? The story behind this mark will give you your answer. It was three years ago. I was only thirteen at the time. My father, the Fire Lord had assembled a war meeting. I decided that if I was going to rule the nation one day I should at least know how a war meeting goes. So I sat in the chamber, among the top generals of the Fire Nation. I remained quiet until I found out that a battalion of new recruits was going to be sacrificed in a battle in order to gain victory against an Earth Kingdom army. I spoke out against this plan. Sacrificing young soldiers was not the way to win a battle. My father was enraged at my outburst, saying that it was disrespectful. He was always a strict man and believed in disciplinary action for any error. And he would make no acceptation for his own son and wanted to set an example. There was only one way to atone for my error: a fire duel.

I believed my opponent in the duel would be his general, whom I had insulted with my protest. So I accepted without hesitation. I soon discovered otherwise. It turned out that it was my father who I would have to fight in this contest. For it was _he_ who I disrespected most within his war room. When I found out I helplessly begged for mercy. He showed none and gave me this!"

Zuko jabbed his finger into the burnt skin of his scar.

"But it was not over yet. My father believed that I was too soft and that by suffering I will grow stronger and learn respect. So, he banished me from my home and my country. The only way I could return with my honor is by capturing the Avatar. That's the one way I will be able to go home."

For a moment Aang felt sorry for this angry prince, burned and disowned by his own father. He could see how the pain went deeper than the scar. He also felt a pang of kinship with this exiled young man, now that he himself was separated from the world he loved.

Zuko looked Aang squarely in the eye."So, now that you know my story will you surrender peacefully?" His voice trembled with impatience, now that the painful years of his quest were so close to an end.

"That is truly a sad story," Aang answered compassionately. "I wish that there was a way I could help you. But I won't go to the Fire Nation, now that I know about the war."

"So be it!"

Fire took form around his hands and was thrown toward Aang's head. Aang dodged it. Zuko unleashed more fire. Aang deflected the flames with airbending and bent the wind with his staff to lift the mattress that lay against the wall. He hurled the mattress at Zuko, pushing him against the wall, slamming his head hard. The prince collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Aang dashed out of the cabin.

Aang ran through the iron ship until he finally got out on the deck. He stopped in his tracks when he saw eight firebenders at their posts. The guards upon seeing the boy prisoner, opened fire. Aang leaped up in the air and spun his staff into a wind slice and forced the guards down flat onto the deck. Zuko suddenly appeared behind him with five more firebenders. They merged their bending power and fired great orange flames. Aang parried by twirling his staff sending the flames off to all sides, even as he was forced back toward the edge of the ship. The blasts were unrelenting and with one more step he would surely fall.

As he struggled to block the intense waves of fire, Aang caught sight of Appa flying above and on his back were Sokka and Katara. In his distraction a powerful fire blast was unleashed and sent Aang over the side, into the icy water. Stunned from the attack, he sank from view in the dark sea.

Appa circled the ship, roaring in dismay. Katara and Sokka clung to him frantically, aghast at what they had seen.

Katara screamed, "Aang! Aang! Oh, those cursed fire benders!"

Sokka's eyes searched the surface of the water. "Appa can you get down to the water? Maybe he can swim." Appa responded immediately swooped down lower to the water.

On the deck of the iron ship, Zuko and the firebenders were crowded to the side of the ship, staring hard into the dark blue water. Suddenly, the water began to churn and glow where Aang had fallen. A roaring sound followed as if from an underwater earthquake. The firebenders instinctively backed away from the rail, as the sound grew. Just as Appa passed over, the restless sea exploded and Aang shot straight up into the air, surrounded by twirling water. His eyes and tattoos were glowing with a bright blue light. He had unleashed his Avatar State, which was his strongest power. Aang remained suspended in midair, supported by the strength of the geyser of water. The roaring sound was deafening. Zuko and his troops were astonished at this sight. Appa stops in the air watching his master. Sokka and Katara gazed down in amazement. Aang manipulated the water into a whirling vortex, creating a spiral. The spiral was sent against the hull of the ship crashing it into a nearby glacier. The shattered ice collapsed onto the bow of the ship, immobilizing it. Aang descended onto the deck, his eyes and tattoos reverted to normal, and dropped to his knees exhausted from the surge of power. Appa landed beside him. The firebenders were scattered faced down from the impact.

Katara and Sokka jumped down off of Appa's back and helped Aang to his feet. "Are you okay?" asked Katara.

"I think so." Aang stammered.

"That was amazing! I've never seen water bending like that!" Sokka exclaimed. "Why can't you do something like that, sis?"

She smirked, "I'm glad you actually see the value in our cultural fighting style."

Once the three of them were mounted on the bison, Appa took off into the sky. Zuko dragged himself to his feet, soaking wet from pieces of ice. He gazed up at the flying bison, watching his target shrink into the distance.

"Next time I will not underestimate him." He stated grimly.

After an hour of flying above the sunset sky, heading in a Northerly direction, Katara crawled toward Aang, who had recovered from his experience.

"Aang," asked Katara. "Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"

"Because…" answered Aang. "I never wanted to be."

"Why?"

"When I found out that I was the one, I knew my life would not be the same anymore. I spent so much time training that I never got to hang out with my friends. Finally the monks said that I would be sent away to the Eastern air temple for more training as an air bender. Away from everyone I loved. So I ran away. Then Appa and I got caught in a storm and were forced underneath the ocean."

"Well that was selfish," Sokka remarked.

"Sokka!" Katara balked.

Aang continued, "I ran away before I could be trained in the other elements because it seemed like too much of a responsibility for a kid."

"But we saw you bend water in such an amazing way."

"That was because of a special power that the monks had told me about. It's called the Avatar State where all the power and experience of past avatars flow through me. I never experienced it before. I don't know how to bend water, earth, or fire. But now that I've seen what has happened I'm willing to try again."

"Listen Aang, the world needs you now more than ever. The Fire Nation controls most of the world but has not been able to conquer large cities within the Earth Kingdom. Most of the men of our tribe have gone to fight them and Sokka and I were the only ones left to protect the tribe. Since we were little, we've heard how the Avatar's responsibility is keeping balance in the world. You are the only one who can put an end to this war. Sokka and I will stay with you on your journey and fight by your side."

"You would do that for me?"

"You bet! It's time to give the Fire Nation a taste of their own medicine." Sokka declared. He brandished his whale tooth machete feeling bold in joining Aang, fulfilling his dream of becoming a warrior like the men of his tribe.

Aang looked down at the sea, taking in all that had been said. He remembered the monks in the temple and his boyhood friends, all gone because of his running away. Hiding in the ice had not been his intention and feelings of guilt rose over him. He reflected, "This world is at war because of me. It's my fault. I must fix it." Then he added uncertainly, "If I can."

Katara affirmed, "We will help you."

Aang smiled warmly at his new friends. "Alright, where to?" He hopped on Appa's head to take hold of the reins.

Sokka responded enthusiastically. "Well, since you don't know any other elements, we'd best find you some teachers. Let's head to the North Pole. There are bound to be waterbenders up there who can teach you."

Aang snapped Appa's reins to go faster and the bison hurtled through the air with amazing speed.


	4. Chapter 4: Changed World

IV. A Changed World

Many weeks and months passed during the travels of the three new comrades. Aang traveled back to his ancestral home at the Southern Air Temple and discovered a terrible truth. The Air Nomads were now extinct, except for him, having been slaughtered at the hands of the Fire Nation years before. Skeletons littered the temple and seemed to cry out from the ground. In his grief his Avatar powers let him slip into the Spirit World and he came face to face with the previous Avatar: Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation. Aang learned he was indeed the last airbender and Roku explained the history of the war, and how Fire Lord Sozin had harnessed the great comet's power to wage war and exterminate the Air Nomads. Though the former Avatar said nothing about Sauron, who had set the stage for the war by sending the comet, because he did not know about him. He said that at summer's end the comet would return and Fire Lord Ozai would use its power to finish the war. In order to prevent this from happening, Aang must master the four elements before the comet arrives.

Though revisiting the Air Temple was not a complete journey of tragedy. Aang, Sokka, and Katara encountered a flying lemur bat that was snooping around the temple. Like Appa, the lemur bat was an animal native to the mountains of the Air Nomads and the last of its kind. Aang decided to adopt the lemur as a pet and named him Momo.

Aang and the others eventually reached the North Pole and Katara, who already had some skill with her waterbending powers, trained with the Northern Tribe to become a waterbending master. Aang did his best to learn water bending alongside Katara and increased his abilities. Sokka spent his time training with the Northern Tribe's warriors and honed his battle skills. He also became attracted to the tribal princess, for he was a young man distracted by the beauty of fair women. Having learned that the Avatar was living among the Northern Water Tribe, the Fire Nation unleashed a massive invasion. The exiled Zuko had lost his ship and crew from an attack by the commander of the invasion force, and he was now alone in his personal quest for the Avatar. He made his way to the Northern Tribe during the invasion and faced off with Aang a second time, only to be beaten back along with the invaders by the great power of the Avatar when he commanded the seas to sweep the enemy away. Aang, Sokka, and Katara departed the Northern Tribe, flying on Appa the bison, to continue their quest.

Prince Zuko was now on the run because his sister, Azula, was given the task to capture him by their father the Fire Lord. His father had heard that Zuko had discovered the Avatar and failed to apprehend him. The cruel Ozai wanted his son to be locked up for being a disgrace to him. Azula was always a devious girl and had the ability to manipulate lightning. With his sister on his trail, Zuko became a fugitive and a refugee. To hide his identity he cut off his ponytail and let his hair grow, if fire benders cut off that piece of hair they are no longer a part of the Fire Nation.

Aang needed to find an earthbending teacher. With Katara and Sokka he scoured the Earth Kingdom in search of mentor. After a long search they befriended a surprising earthbending master. Her name was Toph, a young blind girl who was as stubborn as a rock and prone to fighting. Although she was born blind, Toph could feel vibrations in the ground and this gave her a unique ability to earthbend and with her senses. This also made her an excellent teacher. It was tough for Aang to learn earth bending because earth was the opposite of air. After trial and error he was finally able to handle it.

Zuko traveled the Earth Kingdom as a refugee and he saw how the Fire Nation had struck fear in the world. Broken families, ruined villages, and the burned forests and fields. The betrayal he felt from his father, his sister, and his nation turned his heart against them and began to believe that his destiny was to fight the Fire Nation and help Aang restore balance to the world. He tracked Aang and the group to the Western Air Temple, where they had taken refuge. Zuko confessed his guilt over what he had done in the past, his own personal pain, and reasons for wanting to join them.

"I know now that what I've done in the past was wrong." Zuko explained to the group. "I wanted my honor back and I believed that my father could restore it to me if I captured you. But I realize that the only way you can keep your honor is by choosing to do what's right. The pain that the Fire Nation has done to the world is unforgivable. As the son of the Fire Lord I am partly responsible for this war. I must atone for this." He touched the red skin of his scar. "This scar I wear is proof of their cruelty." He then turned to Aang. "If you'll have me, I'll teach you firebending, and help you restore balance to the world."

Aang fixed his eyes on the fire prince. He clearly did not look like the same man he once was. He seemed to have a wiser attitude and was not as hot-tempered anymore. His eyes no longer held a beastly look, rather a patient and cautious gaze. His black unkempt hair covered his head in a kindly fashion and he wore a dark red tunic with gold lines going down the front.

Although his appearance was fairer than before, could he be telling the truth? This was still the young fire bender who attempted to apprehend Aang more than once.

"Give me a moment to discuss this with my friends," Aang replied.

Aang faced his friends Sokka, Katara, and their newest comrade, the blind girl, Toph. The group was apprehensive. The last several months of fighting and traveling around the world had made them grow up quickly. Katara's raven hair had grown down to her waist and she bore the look of experience beyond her age. Sokka gripped his new sword in its sheath and was sharper than he once was after the months of battle. Toph turned her small body in the direction of their voices. Her unseeing eyes did not betray her thoughts.

"We can't trust him!" Sokka barked. "I'll bet this is another trap of his!"

"Wait a moment Sokka," said Toph as she turned her pale, moon-like eyes to face him. "Aang needs a firebending teacher. There's no one else in the world who would do it. Now one shows up and is offering his help."

"Toph!" Katara snapped. "You weren't there when he attacked our village! Or when he tried to capture Aang at the North Pole! You don't know the kind of person he is."

"The kind of person he _was,_ Katara. The person he _is_ seems sincere and a man of honor. After all, he has nothing to go back to now that he's deserted the Fire Nation. You can't let your hurt feelings come into play here."

Both Sokka and Katara stayed silent. Katara turned to Aang. "What do you think?" asked Katara.

Aang still remembered all the wrongs Zuko had done to them. But Toph was right about the need for a firebending teacher. And the young man who had come seeking them was not the angry fire bender he once knew.

"I'm willing to let him prove himself to us." Aang declared. "If he betrays us, then we'll deal with him."

Toph held no grudge against Zuko. It was Sokka and Katara's consent he needed.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders, "Alright. Have it your way. If you think that this is what needs to be done, then I'm all for it."

Aang turned to Katara. She held a look of disgust toward the fire prince.

"I'll go along with whatever you think is right," Katara reluctantly agreed.

The four of them faced Zuko, who awaited their reply nervously. Aang spoke, "We've decided to let you join us. I'd like you to teach me fire bending."

Zuko smiled, relieved. "I swear on my life and honor that I won't let you down!"

It was difficult for the group to get used to having Zuko with them after what he had done, but he soon proved to them that he was wiser and stronger than he had been in the past. Now he was their ally and their new friend.

After many months of learning firebending from Zuko, Sozin's comet was coming, and the time came for Aang to face the Firelord. Fire Lord Ozai changed his title from Fire Lord to Phoenix King out of his own vanity. He wanted to have a new name since he felt confident that he was about to rule the world. Aang and Ozai fought a monumentous battle. Ozai was fueled by the power of the comet, while Aang used his mastery of the four elements to the highest level. When Aang assumed the power of the Avatar State, Ozai was defeated. However, Aang could not bring himself to kill Ozai, instead he took away his bending, leaving him powerless as a man and a ruler. Then both Ozai and Azula were imprisoned for their crimes against the world. With Ozai overthrown, Zuko ascended the throne of the Fire Nation. As the new Fire Lord his first order was to declare the war between the Fire Nation and the world at an end.

When peace came to the world, the group of friends parted ways temporarily. Zuko, as the new Fire Lord, ruled over the Fire Nation, Toph returned to her family within the Earth Kingdom, and Aang, Katara, and Sokka journeyed back to the Southern Water Tribe to help restore it to its former glory. As for the Avatar's animal friends, Appa stayed with Aang but Momo the flying lemur left them to roam free in the new world. Through their journey together, Aang and Katara grew to have strong feelings for one another. Young as they were they became a loving pair and spent much of their time side by side.


	5. Chapter 5: The Past Sends a Nightmare

V. The Past Sends A Nightmare

After two years had passed, the world had prospered since the time of war and the people relished the new era of peace. The nations of the world shared their cultures and practices freely with one another. The Fire Nation that had once worshipped the coming of Sauron had changed, since Zuko had all temples devoted to the evil one removed. Although the temples of the Dark Lord had been desecrated, some still felt a shadow loomed over all of them.

Suddenly, a colossal storm and earthquake occurred simultaneously. But the storm was no ordinary catastrophe of nature. Its lightning was red and the wind was extremely powerful. The earthquake was so massive that countries all across the world felt the intense tremors. This led people to believe that the world was coming to an end. As the earthquake shook a new landmass was created. It was close to the Earth Kingdom but they were separated by a large ravine and a marsh. The sky glowed red and thunder sounded for miles. This turn of events left many people in disarray.

After the catastrophe ceased, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph had traveled back to the the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se. The city was enclosed by immense walls of solid rock and its districts were aligned in three rings. The lower ring housed craftsmen and merchants, the middle ring held commoners and nobles, and the upper ring was inhabited by minor government officials that surrounded the royal palace.

Though the city contained thousands of people, buildings in each ring were wrecked because of the global phenomenon and were under construction. Aang and Toph lent their earthbending abilities to assist the reconstruction.

The four friends spent their nights at a small house in the upper ring of the city after working all day. All slept soundly that night, except for Aang.

Aang was plagued by a horrific nightmare. He found himself standing on burning earth, witnessing a dark shadow of a hand spreading across the land, engulfing everything it touched. As the shadow drew nearer, Aang tried to run away, but his legs would not turn. Aang cried out for help, though there was no one to hear him. The looming, dark hand rose high above him, its large smokey fingers slowly closing around him. Aang hopelessly struggled to escape this evil. The shadow's fingers locked him in the dark and slowly ate away at his body.

Aang awoke screaming in a puddle of sweat. His outburst woke Sokka, Katara, and Toph from their slumber. Sokka reached for his sword and flayed about the room like a spooked dog. He madly swung his blade while yelling at nothing. The next thing he knew was Toph's balled up fist knocking the wind out of his gut.

Sokka wheezed, "What... heh... was... heh... that for?!"

Toph answered, "To stop you from flailing. You might have hurt somebody."

"You hurt _me_!"

"Exactly! Problem solved with one good fist." She drew up her clenched hand.

"No. No problem's solved. I was having a good peaceful dream until Aang woke me up."

Sokka's dreary eyes fixed on Aang.

Katara knelt down beside Aang and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Just... just... a bad dream," Aang panted.

Sokka yawned, "Well, since there's no more commotion to deal with I'm going back to sleep."

"Try not to do that again twinkle toes," Toph said as she walked into her room.

"It was just a dream try and get some sleep Aang," spoke Katara.

She kissed his forehead, laid him down, and left for her room.

Aang rested his head down on his pillow. The dream gave him a bad feeling. He did not know what it meant but it could only be foretelling that something was coming.

The morning sun rose above the city. Aang and his friends woke from a short sleep and readied themselves for the day. Aang dressed himself in a light linen shirt, powety orange pants, and small leather greaves.

Katara washed her face and wore an aqua colored shirt and long skirt down to her shins. She fastened loops along the sides of her head, with her long raven hair. On her chestnut skinned wrists, she wore blue bracelets bearing the symbol of the Water Tribe: the moon overlapping the ocean. Lastly, around her neck, she wore her mother's crystal blue necklace.

Sokka twisted the back of his dark hair in a bushy ponytail with a blue band, slipped on light blue pants and a sleeveless shirt, thin dark blue gloves, and leather boots. Over his back he fastened a belt holding his steel sword. He always keeps his blade close to him, since he lost his previous sword in the battle between the Avatar and the Phoenix King.

Toph was clothed in a light yellow shirt and green pant, a green and gold headband in her black hair, and green leather anklets above her bare feet. Being both blind and an earthbender she must have her feet touching the ground without any shoes.

They broke their fast, over bread, rice balls, chicken, and noodles in the living room. Suddenly, there came a knock on the door. Aang opened the door to find a middle aged man wearing the garments of the Earth Kingdom.

"Avatar Aang," the messenger said while bowing his head.

"Yes?" Aang replied.

"A messenger hawk arrived this morning from the Fire Nation. It's addressed to you."

He handed Aang a scroll bearing the Fire Nation insignia and left.

Aang unraveled the scroll.

"What does it say?" asked Toph.

"It's from Zuko. He's requested our presence in the Fire Nation capital."

"What could he want?" Katara asked.

"It doesn't say anything else. Only that we are to arrive as soon as possible without any delay." He rolled up the message. "I'll go ready Appa."

"Now? But we barely finished breakfast." Sokka complained.

No one paid heed to him. Aang walked outside, while Katara and Toph were packing supplies.

Sokka grumbled, "Always when I'm eating."

It had taken half a day's flight to reach the Fire Nation from Ba Sing Se, but as they gazed down from the clouds, they saw the red rooftops of the capital city. The Fire Nation's capital was comprised of hundreds of buildings within a large crater of a volcano. In the center of the city stood the royal palace. One great tower, crowned with a golden flame, centered between two shorter towers, each of them streaked with gold along the edges of the red fortress.

Appa descended onto the white cobblestone street that led to the palace, in between two files of firebenders who blocked the excited crowd. Hundreds of people had gathered within the streets of the capital to see their arrival. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph dismounted and began walking up the street.

At the end of the street they could see their good friend Zuko, Fire lord of the Fire Nation. Golden eyes like fire, the large red scar on his left eye that blemished his marble skin. His black hair woven back into a lock where he wore the golden flamed crown. His shoulders concealed by a black spiked pad that held a golden flame at the center. Dressed in red clothing lined with gold streaks, a long dark red cape that hung from his shoulders, and crimson boots with pointed edges.

Zuko spread out his long arms and spoke, "Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph. Welcome."

The four of them bowed their heads in respect to the Fire Lord.

"Come now there's no for that, my friends."

Zuko walked to them and gave each one of them a friendly hug.

"A whole year," Zuko spoke. "Look at all of you. Each of you have gotten a bit taller."

"Maybe," Aang replied. "But you're still the tallest of us. Besides you look much older than the last time we saw you and more noble."

"Perhaps, but come inside I've prepared a feast."

Zuko led them through the dark doors into the torch lit halls.

They ate a hearty meal in Zuko's throne room. A large room filled with golden columns, placed on a dark polished wooden floor. At the end of the chamber was a stage that displayed the Fire Nation throne, surrounded by a sea of yellow flames. The throne was a flat seat underneath a golden roof supported by four columns.

After they had finished their feast, the dishes and eating wear were taken away.

"That was a great meal," boasted Sokka. "You royals sure know how to throw a feast."

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it," answered Zuko.

"Since we're all together again, we should all go on a long vacation. For old time's sake," Toph suggested.

"If only we could," sighed Zuko whose face had become solemn.

Aang and the rest had become curious about Zuko's new expression.

"What is it Zuko? Is everything alright?" questioned Katara.

"No. I didn't summon you here for a friendly meeting. Something terrible has happened."

A sense of danger descended on them all.

"What's happened? puzzled Aang.

"I believe that we are facing a serious problem that threatens the world."

The news took them by surprise.

"What do you mean?" asked Toph. "Aang already defeated the Phoenix King. You declared the war to an end, the Fire Nation has made peace with the other nations, and balance has been restored. So there shouldn't be another problem."

"I wish it were true." Zuko stared down at the floor like he wanted to kneel and beg for his very life. "It grieves me to tell you this… but there is a great evil that is at work in this world."

"What are you saying?" questioned Sokka.

"First of all, my father, Ozai, has escaped."

"What?! How? When?"

It made no sense to Aang, Ozai no longer held any powers, and had no allies to support him. How could he have the means of escape?

"About a week ago. I'm not sure how he escaped, but the guards who watched him were cut down in pieces and the bars to his cell were sliced by most likely a blade."

"Who in the world would want to free your father? Could it have been some Fire Nation war criminal?" asked Katara.

"I don't think so," Sokka broke in. "No member of the Fire Nation military would dare release him. Besides he is useless now that he cannot bend, what could he possibly do to threaten us?"

Zuko responded, "I don't have all of the answers to your questions. But my father is not the threat that I speak of." Zuko seemed to show slight fear in his eyes. "Be prepared, for the threat that I'm going to tell you is unlike anything we have ever faced together in the past. It is something far more dark and powerful, beyond our worst nightmares!"

The Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph fell silent. A dark sense of dread festered in Aang's heart. His dream of the darkness engulfing the world suddenly came back to him. Could his nightmare have something to do with the evil that Zuko spoke of?

"Tell us!" Aang demanded.

"You all remember the world wide earthquake and storm?"

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph nodded their heads.

"That was no ordinary event as you have probably guessed. It was caused by the power of a great evil. Twenty thousand years ago, before the Avatar ever existed, there was a Dark Lord known as Sauron. A fearsome being that wielded terrifying powers beyond your imagination. He was the greatest evil that ever walked this earth.

He attempted to conquer the world using not only his own powers, but also massive armies of both man and beast. Armies of powerful forces, the likes of which you've never seen. But his most powerful weapon of all, was his One Ring of power. This ring was made to give him the power to enslave all the free peoples of this world and rule it.

Thankfully his plans were foiled by a group known as the Fellowship of the Ring. But before his doom, the Dark Lord used the last of his magic to create a second Ring of Power. And as long as the Ring survives, so does his spirit."

The room soon became as silent as a graveyard. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph felt as if a fiery dagger had pierced their hearts.

"There's another thing," Zuko went on. "The Dark Lord not only used his magic to create another ring of power, but he also bestowed the ability to bend the elements upon the animals who would later pass it on to mankind."

The four of them gasped at that information.

"So you're saying," Katara guessed. "That this Dark Lord was the one who made it possible for the four nations to exist."

Zuko nodded his head discouragingly.

They could not believe this horrible truth. The techniques that had been handed down from thousands of generations, which led to the creation of the Four Nations had been the making of a dark, evil entity.

"But how do we know this evil even existed? How do you know all of this Zuko?" questioned Sokka.

Their friend lowered his gaze to the floor as if to admit a shame he has long kept from them. "It all began with my great grandfather Sozin. When the comet that granted fire benders incredible power first came, my great grandfather was given a vision as it passed. The comet was a sign from the Dark Lord Sauron, the vision that Sozin received showed him the Dark Lord's story and his plans for the future. Because of that very same vision, my great grandfather wanted to make preparations for the Dark Lord, by conquering it. You could say that Sauron had sown the seeds for the war. It was all part of his devious plan.

Although, my great grandfather said that the war with the nations was a way of sharing the greatness of the Fire Nation with the rest of the world, the Fire Nation's true intention was to carry out the will of the Dark Lord Sauron and to locate the One Ring and protect it. Thankfully, he was never successful in finding it. So, ever since the war began, the Fire Nation worshipped the Dark Lord as a god. Temples made out of black marble were built in tribute to the evil one and schools were instructed to teach the children of the Fire Nation about the history of the Dark Lord and the world he existed in. Members of the royal family were especially taught about the history of the Dark Lord. In doing so each Fire Lord would be devoted to him, along with the country.

As soon as I came into power and put an end to the war, I razed all of the dark temples to the ground, and eradicated further study about the evil one. But sadly, I cannot erase memories from the minds of the people who were educated in Sauron's history, that will forever be engraved in their minds until their dying day. Unless this civilization moves on to the future, then and only then can the Dark Lord no longer have a presence in the world. But that may not come to pass because of the events that are sure to come."

The Fire Lord sternly rose from his seat. He walked onto the stage where his throne sat and pushed a secret button that was placed on one of the columns. It unlocked a secret spiral stair that went deep underneath the throne and was not lit.

"Follow me down this passage and I'll show you further proof," Zuko spoke.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph followed him down the dark staircase. Zuko used firebending to light the way since darkness blinded their vision.

"I can feel that this staircase leads to a large room at the bottom," announced Toph.

"Zuko?" asked Aang. "Where are you taking us?"

"You will see," Zuko answered.

They finally came to a stop at the staircase but there was no change in the dark. Zuko shot fire bending into two small holes in the sides of the tunnel. The fire spread throughout the walls filling up images of battles that were engraved into the walls. Then it came to a large carving of an eye that gazed on the room. The flame traveled down from the eye and lit two pools of oil on fire. When it was finished they stood in a fire lit room, full of the stench of smoke. Although the chamber was heated by countless flames, it sent a chill into their hearts. This was clearly no ordinary chamber.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph scanned the room in wonder. Between the two pools of fire was a walkway that led to a spiked altar that displayed a black orb. Along the pathway was a set of eight statues, four on each side. They were statues of cloaked figures holding long swords up high. Two different statues stood by the altar. The one on the right was another cloaked figure, except it wore a large mask that had a gaping mouth hole and two eye holes above it. At the top of the stone helm was a long point surrounded by several spikes that stuck out of the sides. Its shoulders and forearms were heavily armored and the statue held a long sword at the center. The statue on the left was of a different sort. It also wore a helm with spikes along the top, but two larger points extended outward. Instead of having eye holes, metal sheets covered the face, except for his mouth, which was engraved with fangs. Like the other statues, it also held a sword to its center.

"What is this place?" shivered Katara.

"This is a shrine, dedicated to the Dark Lord Sauron." Zuko answered. "This is the last of the temples that the Fire Nation dedicated to him. Ever since my great grandfather Sozin's reign, Fire Lords would come down here when they were about to go into battle. They wanted to make sure that the spirit of Sauron was watching over them. When my father was still in power he would bring me and my sister down here and show us how the service was done."

"What are the images on the walls for?" Sokka asked.

"They are carvings of great battles that took place a long time ago when he still walked the earth. The largest carving at the center wall on top of the altar is the mark of Sauron: The Great Eye."

The eye may have been a wall carving infused with fire, but to Aang, it felt as if they were being watched.

"What about the statues?" asked Toph.

"Those are statues of the Dark Lord's greatest servants: The Nazgul, the Mouth of Sauron, and his second in command the Witch King. The Nazgul were wraiths who were once men but were deceived by Sauron and became neither living nor dead. The Mouth of Sauron is the Dark Lord's lieutenant, an obedient servant, who is a dark sorcerer, and speaks for his master when he is not there. But none of his servants matched the power of the Witch King. The Witch King was his deadliest servant. He was the lord of the Nazgul, had greater power than the others, and could not be killed by any living man. The Fire Nation made statues of them since they were the greatest of his servants. All of this may be enough to prove what I'm telling you is true, but there's more."

Zuko walked towards the altar and picked up the strange black orb that was sitting on it.

"What is that?" Aang asked.

"This is a palantir; a crystal ball that Sauron used long ago to keep in contact with his allies. With this I can show you all his dark deeds that occurred thousands of years ago."

He spread his hands across the surface of the orb and nothing happened. Then in the center of the palantir, the fiery eye of Sauron appeared. The gaze and power of the eye paralyzed them. While they were frozen like stone, a dark voice whispered into their ears, shackling their hearts with fear. They hoped with what free will they had left that this evil would leave.

Sadly, it did not, and the torment was not over. Suddenly, blinding light emitted from the orb causing them to shield their eyes. Once they opened their lids, Aang and the others were surrounded by fire. They saw in the flames around them images of a dark, evil monster that was engulfed in darkness. His darkness spread from him and consumed both person and land. Armies of horrible creatures called orcs pillaged, burned, and laid waste to cities that they besieged. They killed their enemies with anger, hate, and delight. The orcs would even kill their own kind and possibly eat them. Their only purpose and joy in life was to kill everything that stood in their way.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka attempted to shield their eyes from the horror. Toph's moon-pale eyes did not need to be closed, because of her blindness, but she still heard the terrible noises from the vision. Unfortunately, any type of resistance to watching was fruitless because the visions slithered into their very minds, making them visible for all to see, even the blind.

In addition to the nightmarish army, there were also giant monsters known as trolls that possessed unbelievable strength that enabled them to obliterate anything in their way. Three races of men also served in his army: easterlings, haradrim, and corsairs. The easterlings were wicked men from an eastern desert, who had been long enemies of those who were also enemies to Sauron. Haradrim were also desert people who rode on giant elephant creatures called Mumakil that trampled over everything in their path. Both the easterlings and haradrim submitted to the will of Sauron in order to annihilate their enemies and gain fertile lands. For these promises, they pledged their loyalty to the Dark Lord. The corsairs were a pirate people who attacked from the water using a fleet of ships. Their desires consist of treasures from the enemies they plunder.

Among all the dark servants, the Nazgul proved to be the worst. The black cloaked wraiths were great sword fighters and flew upon fell beasts that were mixes of dragons and reptiles.

With these forces, Sauron nearly won the war against the free peoples of the Middle Earth. But he met his defeat at the hands of a group called the Fellowship of the Ring. Through their combined efforts they destroyed his One Ring of Power, and with it Sauron himself. However, it showed them how he used his remaining power to create another ring allowing himself to endure.

The vision ended and they once again stood in the shrine of the Dark Lord. What Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph saw had horrified them. Although, the crackling of flames was the only sound in the room, it felt as if the inflamed carvings of the monsters on the walls were laughing at them.

"I thought...the Phoenix King was evil." Shivered Aang. "But Sauron, he's… he's just beyond anything I would have ever thought to have existed. The way he killed his enemies, his horrifying powers, and his terrifying armies. He's...he's...he's pure evil."

"Now that I've shown you this," Zuko broke in. "I will tell you now that it's my belief that my father's release was Sauron's doing. I don't know what he intends for him, but it can't be good. Also, that landmass that formed after the world wide catastrophe was without a doubt the realm of Mordor. I sent scouts to investigate it and only one returned. Sadly, he died the next day due to the trauma from the mission. But before he did, he confirmed my worst dream come true, Sauron's return is drawing near."

"This is terrible!" complained Sokka. "How can Aang win against this guy!"

"Sokka you've seen Aang beat the Phoenix King." Spoke Katara. "I'm sure he can defeat this Sauron. Am I right Aang?"

"I don't know Katara," said Aang. "After seeing what kind of power he can wield I don't know if the power of the Avatar is strong enough."

"Wait," pointed out Toph. "It's pretty simple how you can beat this new enemy. Just do what you did to the Phoenix King, just take his bending away!"

"It's not that simple Toph," Zuko answered. "His ring of power protects him from losing his power and makes sure it stays in him! Besides, bending is only part of his magic. That wouldn't have any affect on him even without his ring."

Aang's body was shaking uncontrollably. Katara put her hands on his shoulders.

Then she announced, "Why don't we decide what to do in a place that is not so intimidating."

"Agreed." spoke Aang, Sokka, and Toph simultaneously.

As they walked back up the narrow stairway. Aang asked harshly, "Why didn't you tell me about this new enemy sooner?!"

"I didn't think I had to. After all this time, the belief of his return seemed like a bad dream."

"This is horrible, this is terrible, this is unbelievable!"

"Calm down Aang," Katara said.

"All is not lost yet. We may have the time we need to stop this evil." Zuko added.

"What are you talking about?" asked Katara.

"Without his ring, Sauron is but a spirit with no exact physical form. If he somehow does possess the ring, he can only be reborn on the solstice, which is about three months away from now. If we act quickly we may be able to stop him before the solstice."

"I hope you're right about that Zuko."


	6. Chapter 6: The Attack

VI. The Attack

They walked out of the fire shrine, up the stairs, and into the throne room. As Zuko sealed the passageway, a chime sounded throughout the palace.

"What's that noise?" demanded Toph.

"That's the alarm!" Zuko answered.

The alarm was a gong that could make a chime loud enough for the whole capital to hear in case of attack.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko dashed out of the throne room. They ran throughout the halls of the palace as the chime of the alarm echoed. Their running took them out to the solar of the palace that could oversee the entire city. What they saw did not please them. Great plums of smoke rose above the crater to where the harbor was. Then, the comrades saw a large company of armed warriors march up to the peak of the crater, with four catapults. The enemies roared like beasts as they descended upon the city, while the catapults remained stationary and hurled flaming boulders onto the buildings.

"The city is under attack!" Zuko exclaimed.

"But who are the attackers?!" questioned Aang.

"Toph! See if you can sense who's attacking and how many there are!" commanded Sokka.

Toph answered, "There are about seven hundred armed attackers. But... the vibrations from their stomping. They're... they're not human... they're orcs!"

Dread fell on the group

"What!? Are you sure?" Katara gasped.

"I recognize the sounds they made from that vision. They can't be anything else."

"We have to get down there now!" shouted Zuko.

The orcs charged down the crater to pillage the village. They butchered guards and civilians alike and lit houses on fire. The people ran for their lives screaming, trying to escape the attack. Fire benders came to stop the raiders but they were out numbered. The forces of Mordor hacked, bashed, stabbed, bit, and decapitated their enemies leaving blood flowing from mutilated bodies.

A woman ran from a large, ash skinned, and yellow eyed Uruk-hai. She yelled for help to come to her as the uruk caught her. The uruk ringed his black muscular hand on her throat and squeezed his sharp talons into her, draining the life from her. Then Aang appeared and blasted the Uruk-hai off of her into a burning house. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko had come out of the palace to join the fight. Once the woman had caught her breath she ran away to seek safety. When she was away the five young fighters split up to repel the enemy.

The orcs spotted the benders and turned their focus on them.

Aang leaped with his staff raised into a large party of orcs and blew them away. Orcs lunged at him and were blown by strong wind into the air. All of a sudden, a large orc carrying a sledgehammer in his right hand and a black long sword in his left surged toward him. The monstrous orc swung his sword at him. Aang dodged, then the brute hurled his hammer towards his head. He missed and his black hammer smashed into the ground. Aang created earth around the orc's hammer hand and prevented him from getting up. The ashy skinned creature struggled to get to his feet with no prevail. He roared at Aang who swiped his staff up the orc's neck breaking it. The brute collapsed on the ground with its hateful yellow eyes staring at Aang. Aang looked away and ran to meet more enemies.

Katara bending water from her pouch splashed her targets away from her. About twenty orcs ran forward to kill her. Before they could get to her she took all the water she had, turned into large ice daggers, and hurled them at the orcs. The shards shredded through the bloodthirsty orcs like paper. When it was finished they were on the ground dead with shards stuck in their hides. Then, more orcs came for her, so she ran to a large water fountain for support. She bent all the water into a small wave and forced it at the enemies. The orcs were pushed back half way across the city into a burning building. The water put out the fire but the decaying structure collapsed, crushing the beasts.

Sokka pulled out his sword and clashed with the enemies. One after another he slew an orc. No matter how many he cut down another took its place. Then an uruk-hai grabbed him from behind and knocked his sword from his hand. Sokka struggled, then without a thought he bit the uruk-hai's hand. The uruk howled with pain but for Sokka it was the worst taste he had ever touch his tongue. The bite loosened the uruk's hold on him, then he hit his skull against the uruk's face and he let go of him. Sokka picked up his sword and stabbed the black skinned monster.

The orcs surrounded Toph on all sides, baring their crooked, yellow fangs. As they closed in on her, she created earth barriers around her blocking them. Then she commanded the walls to fall on the orcs, crushing them. Five muscular uruk-hai came for her. She trapped them in earth bent from the ground they were running on and entombed them.

Zuko dodged their weapons and burnt his targets. The black skinned orcs let out cries of agony and pain. Then he inflamed a group of ten by releasing a large fire ball. Then an orc lunged at him, he ducked, put his hand up against the creature, and incinerated him. For his next attack, Zuko commanded the fire from a burning house to hit against a large group of orcs. They screeched with pain as they burned alive.

The four catapults at the top of the crater hurled down flaming rocks upon the city. Aang called Appa to him and flew to destroy the catapults. Appa landed on top of one catapult then with a powerful flap from his tail he destroyed another. Aang leaped off and crushed another by bending the earth from underneath it. Appa rammed his head into the last catapult, shattering it to pieces. That was the last of the Mordor assault for the meantime victory was theirs.

The city was full of the stench of smoke and death. The houses on fire were being extinguished and the corpses were rounded up. Those who were killed in the assault such as civilians and soldiers were separated from the bodies of the beast like orcs. The carcasses of the creatures from Mordor were piled up in one huge pile and were burnt. Blood was scrubbed away from the streets and houses. Those who survived were sent to the infirmary. Some were able to make it, but for others their wounds were fatal and passed from this life.

Katara aided in the infirmary, while Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko received news of the attack from the guards that patrolled the bay.

Apparently, the Mordor invasion force traveled by sea, in a black fleet. The fleet was made up of six attack ships, four bombardment ships that each had a catapult, two small ships that were each driven by a troll, and ten transport ships each containing a hundred bloodthirsty troops. Each ship boar black sails with symbols of Mordor.

The black fleet had come in sight of the Fire Nation's great gate that guards the bay. The gate was a giant statue of Ozia's father: Firelord Azulon in between two dragon barriers that connect with a fiery gate. Hence the name Great Gates of Azulon. The gate was activated when the fleet was spotted. The armada came to a halt, but one of the small ships, driven by a troll, continued to row. The troll oarsman rammed it into the statue and the ship erupted into a massive blast of fire. The troll was blown into the sea to die, but its part to play was done. It could be assumed that the explosion was caused by either a powerful spell or a type of explosive composed by the enemy. As for the blast, it shattered the statue, bringing down the gate. Never before had the great gates of Azulon ever been breached. With the gate destroyed the fleet sailed on to the mainland.

The black armada of Mordor had come into sight of the defenses set up to protect the bay. Two long walls connected to another large gate. Each wall had four battlements that were set up to fire explosive harpoons to destroy any intruders. The fleet halted once more to execute the next stage of the naval attack. The bombardment ships were rowed to the head of the fleet. Two bombardment ships rowed in front of the other two and fired large flaming rocks at each first battlement. The battlements were obliterated on impact. Then, the two ships behind fired at the second battlement on each wall. One after another the flaming rocks destroyed each battlement rendering it defenseless. The bombardment ships pulled back but the second troll driven ship went forward. The troll rammed into the gate with devastating results. The blast destroyed not only the gates but the walls connected to it. Any fire benders guarding the walls had been blasted into the water. The fleet moved forward once more to the beach. The naval attack was over, but their land attack followed next.

All surviving ships of the black fleet landed on the shore and out came a thousand orcs and corsairs. The Fire Nation's troops had come out to meet them. Once they caught sight of each other both parties charged at one another. The firebenders blasted fire at them and fought bravely against the creatures of Mordor. Sadly, the orcs showed them no mercy by biting, hacking, stabbing, and bashing them. Fire Nation battlements were set up on the shore to fire upon the orcs. Soon after, the forces of Mordor dismounted their catapults off of the bombardment ships to crush their enemies. The battlements fired at the warriors, but they failed to notice the catapults until it was too late. Fiery rocks were hurled from the catapults and rained upon the battlements, completely destroying them. The Fire Nation's soldiers tried to escape but were overwhelmed by the fury of the orcs, and were brutally massacred. The garrison charged toward the city to continue their attack.

Night had finally come over the ruined city. Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph were given their own private rooms for the night. While the others slept, Aang went to see Zuko. He found Zuko in his solar, sitting in silence. His hair was unfastened and he was dressed in a crimson and gold robe. But Aang could tell that his friend was not in a good mood. Hist fists were clenched and his face frowned with frustration.

As Aang entered the room he asked, "Everything okay Zuko?"

"No!" Zuko growled. "This attack proves that Sauron's forces are already at work. And they dare to attack us and massacre my people!" He strode toward the window and gazed down at the pyres. "They will not get away with this!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?!" demanded Zuko.

"Zuko, it's ME," sighed a woman's voice.

Zuko immediately opened the doors. It was his future queen, Mai. She was the daughter of a noble family, originally one of Zuko's sister's friends, but had fallen in love with Zuko and chose to side with him.

The engagement between Zuko and Mai was announced six months prior to the events that have followed. Aang and the others had already received word that the wedding would take place soon, but with the situation at hand it may have to be put on hold.

Mai was a gloomy girl who had pale skin and black hair that was woven upward, so only two long strands reached down her shoulders. She wore a dark red robe, bright red sleeves, and baggy pants. Her hands wore black gloves and the robe was fastened by a white silk belt. However, she was an elite warrior, skilled in throwing daggers that were concealed within her clothing.

"Mai, you're back!" said Zuko as he held her in his arms. She had gone to visit relatives in the Fire Nation for two weeks.

"I came back as soon as I heard of the attack. Are you alright?" Mai asked as she kissed his lips.

"Yeah," Zuko replied.

Once he let go of her, she gave a hug to Aang. "Good to see you again Aang."

"Good to see you too," Aang answered.

After she let go of him, Mai turned to Zuko, "How bad was the attack?"

"It was a massacre!" Zuko exclaimed. "Countless soldiers and civilians have been killed, buildings were burnt to the ground, and the great Gates of Azulon are now in ruins!"

Mai sighed, "Well, looks like I should have been here."

Aang broke in, "Zuko we need a plan. You know more about this threat than anyone else in the world. We need to find a way to counter attack."

"Don't worry Aang. I've already set a plan in motion."

"Really?!"

"Yes. I've sent envoys to all our allies across the world. I've asked for the leaders to come here for a war meeting."

"War meeting?" asked Mai.

"This is a matter that the Fire Nation cannot handle alone. Furthermore, it concerns the safety of the world. If we're going to stand against Sauron we must be united. Until the leaders arrive we must stay put."

Becoming Fire Lord, had clearly forced Zuko to make critical decisions in a short amount of time. He alone undertook the task of restoring the honor of the Fire Nation, as well as his own, now he must place his trust in the decisions of the nations.


	7. Chapter 7: Old Friends

VII. Old Friends

After two months of waiting, the leaders of the nations arrived in the capital. From the Earth Kingdom came the Earth King of Omashu, King Bumi, and Earth King Kuei of Ba Sing Se. Next, representing the Water Tribe came the chief of the Northern Water Tribe and the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Hakoda, Katara and Sokka's father.

The Earth King Bumi of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu was the first to arrive. Crowned with a green leather cap, that acted as a base for two long feathers, a dark green shoulder pad that bore the symbol of the Earth Kingdom: a green wheel of earth that had a square in its center, and a light green robe. Bumi was a welcome face for them to see. Both the king and Aang had been lifelong friends. Back in the days when air benders still walked the earth, Aang had often visited Omashu to pay visits to his friend Bumi. Out of all the friends Aang once knew, Bumi was the only one who managed to live throughout the past century. Being over a hundred years old did not make him the most appealing king. He had unbrushed white hair that circled around his bald scalp, a white goatee hung on his stumpy chin, bags were strung up from his droopy, uneven, brown eyes, a crooked nose, missing teeth, and liver spots that covered his face and scalp. He was also not the most stern type of a leader. Back when he and Aang were young, Bumi would always get Aang into a crazy activity that he considered to be fun. Aang would refer to him as a "mad genius." Aside from his crazy intellect, the earth King was among the most powerful earthbenders in the world and he would often have wise reasons for his insane actions. His unpredictable personality is what gives him the power to rule over his people.

The Earth King Kuei, of Ba Sing Se, was a young man of thirty one. He wore a circular crown made of green velvet that had a gold point at the top and the Earth Kingdom insignia above his brow, small glasses above his nostrils, green and golden robes, and braided brown hair that hung down his back. Those who escorted him were his top generals of Ba Sing Se. Earth King Kuei himself was no fighter nor a gifted strategist, he left those jobs to his generals. Each general was armored in green and gold boiled leather, wore bands around locks of their hair, green capes, but no shoes, for earth benders could not bend earth without exposing their feet. Back in the days of the war with the Fire Nation, Aang and his company traveled to Ba Sing Se in order to ask for aid. They soon discovered that Earth King Kuei was being manipulated by his advisor Long Feng. Feng bent the laws of the city to his will, but was soon discovered by Aang and was locked away for treason. Earth King Kuei became an ally of the Avatar from then on.

The Chief of the Northern Tribe, Arnook, was a middle aged man of forty five. Brown chestnut skin, black hair that was braided along the sides of his ears, and a black goatee that circled around his mouth. His garments consisted of a blue leather vest, black leather forearms, brown boots, and a pendant around his neck that bore the Water Tribe symbol: the moon overlapping the ocean. Arnook was the father of the princess that Sokka had fallen for when their group visited the North. His daughter had died in the days of the Fire Nation siege, so he had seen his share of grief. But he not let himself be consumed by grief. The chief of the North had a strong will and would do anything to protect his people.

Last of the nation leaders, was Sokka and Katara's father, Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. He was a man in his thirties who shared the same chestnut skin as Katara and the same dark hair as Sokka. He wore dark blue leather plates as armor and his breastplate displayed the symbol of the Water Tribe: the moon overlapping the ocean. He had a short brown goatee around his mouth and a lock of his hair was woven back on top of his head while the rest hanged down above his neck. Hakota of the Southern Water Tribe was a fierce warrior and had a strong will for survival, but above all he loved his children so dearly.

The allies who arrived did not stop with the Nation leaders, several friends of Aang and the group answered the summons as well. To Sokka's delight, the Kyoshi warriors came along with their leader Suki and a former friend of Azula, Ty Lee. The Kyoshi warriors were a band of seven elite female fighters that hailed from the island of the earth bender Avatar Kyoshi. Their fighting skills are based in a fan combat and single blade swords. Each of the warriors wore white makeup, red eyeliner, green plated gowns, and green head dresses. Suki could be distinguished from the rest by her golden head dress that signified her position as leader.

Sokka and Suki were lovers. When they first met, Sokka was sexist towards her and her female fighters. But soon after learning their fighting style his view on women had changed for the better. When Ozai was still in power and made his final attack on the Earth Kingdom, Suki had accompanied Aang and his comrades in the fight; she was a great asset to their team. Sokka held Suki very dear in his heart and would gladly give his life to protect her.

Among the next people to arrive was Zuko's uncle Iroh who was followed by his fellow members of the Order of the White Lotus. Although he had attained a great age of sixty five, the old Fire Nation general had a great physique. His grey hair hung down his back, at the top of his head was a strand of hair held up. The lower half of his face was covered by grey muttonchops and his copper eyes held great wisdom. He was dressed in the uniform of the Order of the White Lotus, a white shoulder pad with the symbol of a lotus and blue leather armor. The Order of the White Lotus was a group of several great masters from each of the nations. Iroh held the leading rank: grand lotus. For most of Zuko's exile, Iroh had assisted him in hunting Aang but at the same time he was trying to give Zuko guidance in order for him to find the life he truly wants. Iroh was the older brother of Ozai but was denied the throne because of a plot hatched by his younger brother. Though Iroh never really sought the Fire Nation throne. Now he spends his days running a tea shop in Ba Sing Se. No one had any doubts about the wisdom he gave to people.

Other members included King Bumi of the Earth Kingdom, Pakku of the Northern Water tribe as well as Sokka and Katara's grandfather and Katara's waterbending teacher. Sokka and Katara's grandmother Kana was originally from the Northern Water Tribe and was engaged to Pakku when they were young. Kana did not want to live by the strict customs of the North so she migrated to the South. After the Siege of the North, Pakku journeyed to the South Pole to help rebuild it. When he arrived he was reunited with Kana and they wed after so many years of separation. Among the other members was Aang's first firebending teacher Jeong Jeong. He was once a decorated general in the Fire Nation military but had decided to leave because of the atrocities committed by his nation. Aang attempted to train under him when he was still young, since he had not learnt water or earth yet he did not comprehend the dangers of fire-bending and therefore was not ready. Finally, the last important member was the man who had trained Sokka in the ways of the sword, Piandao, sword master of the Fire Nation. When Sokka trained under him impersonating a peasant of the Fire Nation, Piandao already knew he was Water Tribe but trained him anyway. He believed that the way of the sword does not belong to one nation. Each of these masters was highly revered by their nations.

With each of the allies assembled, Fire Lord Zuko summoned all of them, including his own generals to the throne room for a war meeting. Zuko sat on his throne with Aang, Katara, and Mai to his right and Sokka, Toph, and Suki to his left. At the foot of the throne, a map was laid down that depicted the image of the lands in front of Mordor that was described by scouts. The White Lotus masters sat on the left side, the leaders of the Nations sat on the right, and the Fire Nation generals sat at the far end of the map.

Chief Arnook was the first to break the silence, "It has been centuries since the nations have met with one another. Standing together as one."

"It is the clearest objective." Spoke Iroh softly. "Each of us is in danger from a great evil. To counter such a threat, the Nations must unite. Prove to the world that we are ready to stand together as allies instead of enemies."

Earth King Kuei of Ba Sing Se said, "A truly wise reason. But... even with our combined strength can we win? I have heard from several of you Fire Nation generals that this Dark Lord has an army that can swarm across the world. If we were to fight and die then our kingdoms would be in great peril."

"What would you suggest?!" Jeong Jeong snapped. "Are we to just stand by and let the enemy attack us?!"

"Nothing of the sort. I'm only considering what would happen in a worst case scenario."

Hokoda responded strongly, "All the more reason to attack them before they can attack us!"

A young Fire Nation general barked, "We should set out to strike against this evil. The Fire Nation does not take an attack without exacting full retribution."

There was a great deal of chatter in the chamber. Then an old Fire Nation general stood up.

"Your Highness," The general addressed Zuko. "May I be permitted to propose another solution?

Zuko nodded.

"The one who attacked us was our idle the Dark Lord Sauron. We should not strike out against him. We would only be destroyed in the process."

"Then what do you propose we do? Sit here to get attacked once again!?" The younger general responded.

"We were attacked because the Dark Lord wanted to remind us of our betrayal of him. He will only punish us further with deadlier consequences. In order to resolve this we should give him our nation's full apology for betraying him and serve under him once more."

A storm of shouts and anger erupted throughout the room.

"I'd expect no less from a Fire Nation general!" Shouted a general from Ba Sing Se. "You just want to save your own skin and leave the rest of us to die!"

The old general scowled, "Easy for you to say. This so called enemy was once worshipped by the whole Fire Nation. If you had to turn against your own deity what would you have done?"

"If I had such an idol to worship I would gladly severe all ties with him!"

The wrinkles on the old general's face tensed with growing anger. "Do not be so blunt in your pride Earth Bender! If we submit to the Dark Lord I'm pretty sure he would not be reluctant to accept the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe as well."

Once again the room erupted with angered shouts and curses. It was clear to Aang that even after a year of peace and reconstruction there still existed old wounds between the Nations.

"Silence!" the fierceness of Zuko's tone put an end to the skirmish of words. He turned his attention to the old general. "How dare you even bring up that idea! What you propose is betrayal! Betrayal of our allies and friends! We should surrender our mite to _him_ so that he will grow stronger and leave the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe to rot?! That decision would lead to our undoing of all we have worked so hard to achieve since the war of the Nations. The end result would be the destruction of the world!"

"But sire we must think of our nation's safety first. Joining the Dark Lord would allow our nation to prosper."

"The Dark Lord does not forgive those who betray him. He would destroy us if we begged for forgiveness! You speak of our nation's safety. Well defying him may be an act of suicide but it is also be for the greater good. Such an evil presence must not be allowed to roam our world. Appealing to him would be certain death! Therefore we will not join him now or ever again. Be gone from my site and keep your ideas of appeal to yourself!"

The elderly Fire Nation general bowed his head grumbling and left the chamber.

"Good men. This threat puts the world at stake. This is no matter of any single nation. After fighting for a century, we must prove to ourselves that living in peace was not in vain. The nations of Water, Earth, and Fire must stand together as allies and brothers instead of enemies. We share a common enemy if we bring discord with us regarding the past then we will fall."

The leaders nodded their heads in agreement of his words. Iroh could be seen looking at his nephew with great favor and approval.

"Now that we are intent on joining our strength," spoke Hakoda. "How many troops would we have? My warriors from the South Pole make a total of thirty five hundred."

Chief Arnook responded, "My Southern brother, my army consists of sixty five hundred.

"Four thousand for Omashu," King Bumi cackled.

"Six thousand from Ba Sing Se," spoke a general.

"Ten thousand from the Fire Nation," announced a Fire Nation general.

Pakku of the North concluded, "With our combined army, our number escalates to thirty thousand."

Jeong Jeong stroked his white goatee, "I suspect that even numbers such as ours will not be enough to break the lines of Mordor."

"We have a fleet of airships that count up to ten and our tanks range from two hundred," A Fire Nation general added. "Even though we will most likely be out numbered we can rain fire down from above."

The swordmaster Piandao stated, "In war, numbers do not always win battles. It is the strength of those who fight it that emerge victorious."

"That maybe, but from what I saw coming here a black fleet carrying a thousand troops managed to destroy the Great Gates of Azulon and fight all the way to the capital," said Earth King Kuei.

The Fire Nation generals grew tense with that reminder. "We were taken by surprise!" Growled a general. "If we had known of the attack we would have destroyed them!"

"Calm yourself general," Iroh advised. "The Earth King makes a valuable point. The Dark Lord's armies consist of powerful forces beyond our imagination. What Piandao said earlier is true, that the strength of those who fight in a war emerge victorious, but it can work both ways. Furthermore, pay attention to this map." Iroh pointed a rod to a drawing of the Black Gate that guards Mordor. "This gate is the only entrance into Mordor, archers will most likely man it and the mountains surrounding the gate. We will be directly in front of them. The enemy has the advantage in the terrain."

Bumi cackled, "We can block their arrows easily with earth."

"That's true but their ground troops will be our main focus," said Hokoda.

The war meeting continued for hours until it was finally concluded.

"It's decided then." Announced Zuko. "Jeong Jeong shall lead our airship fleet, King Bumi and Chief Hakoda will have command of the vanguard and cavalry, Piandao will lead the left flank, Pakku the right, my uncle Iroh will command our rear troops, and lastly myself and the Avatar will have command of the center. Each of you are permitted to return to your homes and prepare your forces for war. The road to Mordor will be long, so the meeting shall take place a month from today. This meeting is adjourned."

The nation leaders departed. Those who remained were Iroh, Jeong Jeong, and Piandao.


	8. Chapter 8: The March

VIII. The March

The following two weeks were devoted to preparation for the Fire Nation army. Zuko assembled his contribution of ten thousand troops, fully armed and able to fight. Then came the day of departure, ten large iron air ships arrived at the shore to carry the army towards the Black Gate. Sokka dressed Appa in gold and red armor, Appa would carry Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Zuko, and Mai. Iroh, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, and the remaining Kyoshi warriors would travel with the fleet. They would rendezvous outside the Black Gate. With preparations complete the team departed for Mordor.

The bison carried them by air, which lasted for another two weeks until they reached the Emyn Muil ravine, close to the Dead Marshes. Aang and his company journeyed on Appa but had to disembark in the ravine because of his exhaustion. Now they had to go on foot through the jagged gorge of the Emyn Muil to the Dead Marshes until they arrive at Mordor. After three days of climbing and walking the team was able to make it out of the Emyn Muil. Since they were out of there, they progressed through the Dead Marshes.

The marshes were covered in fog and stunk of corpses. Flames(Candles) were lit throughout the marshes marking where a dead body and soul lay. While they were walking Sokka stepped in the water and his foot landed close to a dead body. When he saw what he had stepped close to he freaked out and ran as fast as he could away from it.

"Stay away from the flames and bodies!" Zuko warned. "If you look into the eyes of the dead, their souls will drag you in to join them!"

Once this was spoken everyone avoided the bodies, shaking and sweating nervously.

"Why did we have to come through here?!" Sokka blurted out.

"Sorry, but Appa still needs a break from flying all these people." Aang explained.

Appa grumbled in agreement.

"Is it really worth traveling through a haunted swamp?" Sokka complained.

Suki pointed out, "Arguing is not going to make this any easier."

Mai pinched her nose, "Nor is it going to make the stench go away!"

After a day's journey they rested and made camps clear of any lights. Everyone attempted to sleep but could not due to the feeling of death around them. After several hours all managed to find sleep except Aang who sat facing the red sky of Mordor. The cries of lightning and thunder could be heard in the distance. The more their journey progressed, the more intimidating it seemed. Katara awoke from a light sleep. She noticed Aang awake, got up, and sat beside him.

"Aang." Said Katara. "Why are you awake? You should be asleep. You need your strength."

"How can I sleep when I have to fight an enemy that is possibly stronger than any Avatar. Besides even if I do defeat Sauron in battle how would I deal with him? You know that I've never been able to bring myself to kill anyone."

"If I recall you slew that one orc by breaking his neck during the attack back in the Fire Nation."

"I panicked. I merely wanted to stop his attack. The monks taught me all life is sacred. That was my whole reason for not killing Ozai in the first place."

Katara put her hand on his shoulder. "Aang. I share your belief that all life is sacred... but the creatures of Sauron seem to have souls so black and full of hate. Wouldn't killing them be somewhat of a mercy in a way?"

Aang paused. "No! That can't be the only solution. If Sauron is able to die I can't bring myself to killing him. And I can't take his powers away! So what am I supposed to do?"

"Aang calm down." She held him closer to her. "I believe you'll know what to do when the time comes."

She kissed him on the cheek and went back to sleep. Eventually sleep overtook Aang.

The next morning the team mounted Appa, ascended, and flew to the black wall that marked the end of the Dead Marshes and at the top would be the entrance of Mordor. When they elevated high enough they saw that the Fire Nation troops who traveled by air were assembled and the air ships hovered above to await a command. From the right side of the road came soldiers and benders of the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom who were ready to fight. A few minutes passed until all of them were fully assembled together. The front line was comprised of a cavalry of mounted troops from each nation on ostrich-horses and komodo-rhinos. Earthbenders stood behind them, then at their heels were waterbenders and warriors, and their rear was taken up by a long row of a eighty Fire Nation tanks. Lastly, firebenders held the rear. Ten Fire Nation airships formed a line on the ground along the army of thirty thousand benders and warriors had finally come together to fight their common enemy.

Cheers sounded from below once the army had caught sight of Appa. Although, the cheers were drowned out of the team's senses as they set their eyes on the Black Gate of Mordor. A massive black iron gate that stood between two mountain passes. The gate resembled a closed mouth of a beast. It had two high towers on the top: Carchost(Red-Tooth) and Narchost(Fire-Tooth). They were known as the Towers of the Teeth overseeing the Black Gate.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Suki, and Mai landed in front of the army, where they were joined by Iroh, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, Pakku, King Bumi, Chief Hakoda, and the Kyoshi warriors. With their army of the nations assembled all that was left to do was to wait for the enemy to arrive.

"Oh good! You've arrived!" blurted out Ty Lee of the Kyoshi warriors as she embraced Mai and Suki.

"So, is this everyone that each of you brought?" asked Aang.

"Yes." Pakku said calmly. "Each nation has made its contribution of soldiers as promised and are ready to stand together as one."

"All right!" Boasted Toph. "We're ready for you Sauron, come on out!"

"Toph!" Exclaimed Zuko. "Don't be arrogant."

"Lighten up for once Zuko." Suki smiled through her white face paint. "Everyone here is fully prepared to fight. Victory may yet be possible."

"Perhaps." Iroh spoke. "But my nephew is right. For right now, we are the only ones who have assembled. The enemy is most likely on their way as we speak."

A few minutes passed and nothing happened. Soldiers within the army were growing impatient with the waiting; especially Sokka and Toph.

"Will they... HURRY UP ALREADY!" Sokka shouted.

A loud creaking noise sounded from the gate, breaking the silence. Then a more powerful sound out ruled the gate's creaking and made all other's heart sink. Booms from war drums, roars of beasts, and the sound of a horn came from behind the Towers of the Teeth. Each drum beat made Aang's heart beat with fear. Finally, the Black Gate opened up and out came the vicious army of Mordor. Thousands upon thousands of orcs poured from the black land, armed with various types of weapons: swords, axes, maces, spears, and any other kind of crude iron weapon. Their armor and shields were also varied amongst the horde. Within the army were the dark men known as easterlings. Armored in red garbs and bronze metal spikes, wielding three-foot long steel scimitars and nine-foot polearms fitted with curved, serrated blades at the outer edges. For defence they bore curved rectangular shields with concave top and bottom edges and at the center was a gold diamond. One of the three types of men that serve Sauron that also appeared were the corsairs. They were armed with assorted weapons and armor as well. Although their true strength lied with naval attacks, they would be just as formidable on land. Innumerable banners were held high, orcs held black cloths that bore the Eye of Sauron and the easterlings bore red triangular cloths also showing the Eye of Sauron with a serpent underneath it. One after another the servants of Sauron came through the Black Gate.

Although they stood their ground, the benders and warriors of the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation were filled with fear.

"Uh Toph, how many do they have?" Sokka trembled.

Toph was stone cold. "It's impossible to get an exact count. I feel so many heavy footsteps that are causing my senses to be blurry. I believe that their numbers are in the hundreds of thousands!"

"WHAT?! Hundreds of thousands?! But we only have thirty thousand!" Sokka hung over, like he was already admitting defeat. "We're doomed!"

"Well, you wanted them to come and here they are," sighed Mai.

The hordes of the enemy began to form up. A large cavalry of warg riders were in the front. The wargs were large wolf like creatures that drooled for the taste of blood. Although bad tempered, the wargs were disciplined to their orc riders. The thousands of orcs soldiers halted their march, glaring at the army of the nations with their poisonous yellow eyes, their rotten teeth bared, and those whose faces were shown scowled with hate. Orc archers gathered at the top of the gate and on the hill sides. An army of hundreds of thousands of horrible creatures unleashed their terrible battle cries that sounded all over.

From behind the warg riders came the white, misshapen orc general Gothmog on a warg. His left eye was swollen by his face, his yellow fangs were crooked, and his left arm was crunched tightly to his torso. Next came the menacing Mouth of Sauron on his black steed; his stone depiction back in the Fire Nation was completely accurate. Although, his cut up mouth and bloody teeth were far worse sights to behold in person. Finally, came the former Phoenix King, Ozai on another black steed, armored in black steel and tunic with a red eye on his chest plate, and a cape hung on his back. The leaders of Sauron's army rode to the front and stopped to gaze at Aang and his friends with evil grins. Now both armies had assembled and it was just a matter of time before one of them fights first.

The leaders of Sauron's army, the Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, and Ozai approached without any bodyguards. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Suki, Mai, and the rest of the leaders walked from their army as well. They met one another between both armies.

"Our master, Sauron the Great bids thee welcome." said the Mouth of Sauron.

Ozai spoke, "It has been some time, son, brother."

"Indeed little brother," answered Iroh. "You seem to have fixed yourself up since the last time I saw you in your prison cell."

Ozai grinned. "That and more. The Dark Lord has granted me a chance in redeeming myself."

Sokka laughed, "What use does he have for a washout like you! Loser Lord!"

Ozai reached back with his right palm and blasted a ball of fire at Sokka. Sokka's moon and ocean breastplate was scorched as he fell to the ground. Hokoda drew his whale tooth sword and Katara unloosed her water pouch. Though their eyes had played a trick on them. Ozai was supposed to be powerless. Aang had taken away his bending when they fought, yet he bent flame again.

"You... you bent again!" exclaimed Aang.

"A chance for redemption from Lord Sauron!" Ozai chuckled. "What you did to me in the past, Avatar, will not help you today. I am once again one of the most powerful firebenders in the world! When the battle begins, I will show no mercy in my revenge."

"Don't get over confident Ozai," warned Iroh. "Your overconfidence will only lead to your downfall."

"Strong words coming from an old tea-loving imbecile."

Zuko barked, "Aang doesn't stand alone this time father! You better watch yourself before making a threat."

"And you, my soft hearted son, have ruined our nation. After years of worship of the Dark Lord, you spat in his eye when you joined with the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom."

"I just figured that he wasn't a figure worthy of worship in times of peace," Zuko stated.

"Well I shall..."

"... Silence Ozai!" the Mouth of Sauron growled. "We are here to offer one last negotiation. But I promise you, if they do not go our way, then you will be free to burn our enemies to ash as much as you want."

Ozai obeyed and held his tongue.

"Negotiations?" asked Hakoda.

"Yes, you have gathered up your own strength as we have ours. But I can see how you do not wish for your troops to die a fruitless battle. A weakness that can be exploited. Surely you must see that there is no hope for any of you if you fight. Only death."

"Then we'll be sure to prove you wrong scum!" Answered Zuko.

"Man filth!" Gothmog snarled. "Do you not see what kind of an enemy you are up against? You are hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched. You have come to your doom!"

"We may be out numbered." Replied Aang. "And possibly out matched. But we have something worth fighting for... our freedom."

"Freedom is but a mere dream that will be swallowed by the darkness," the Mouth of Sauron stated.

"Without freedom there is no peace!" spoke Iroh.

"Besides we have the Avatar, master of all four elements." Boasted Sokka. "I doubt your army can hold their own in this battle."

Gothmog's warg growled at Sokka who then backed away.

"Don't be a fool," Ozai said. "It's true that the Avatar is powerful, but you are merely a vessel of the spirits of people who have fought and died all the same. The Dark Lord is a divine being, whose origin began long before man settled upon this earth! He began as an immortal spirit. A god among those in his company. He is far beyond you!"

Katara did not quiver. "I have faith in Aang. He will defeat your master and you will die!

The Mouth of Sauron's bloody mouth bared its teeth in frustration and hate.

"Bold words coming from a little hag!" Insulted the Mouth of Sauron. "Fortunately for you our master is willing to bargain with you. Here are his conditions: Surrender and have your army return home. Place Ozai in command of the Fire Nation so they can once again resume their worship of the master. Each town of all the nations will be kept alive but they must pay tribute. They are not to oppose us and are to work in labor for Mordor. As for you Avatar. You need only subject yourself to Lord Sauron. Agree to these terms and you may live to see another sunrise."

Aang stepped closer to him.

"There will be no deal! We'll never bargain with the likes of you!"

The dark lieutenant bared his bloody teeth.

"Then little worm... you face... Obliteration!"

With that Ozai, Gothmog, and The Mouth of Sauron rode away back to their side laughing in a cruel manner. Then Aang and his companions turned to walk back to their army.


	9. Chapter 9: United Battle

IX. The United Battle

Once each leader had gotten back to their side Gothmog blew his war horn and so the cavalry of warg riders charged. The wargs ran relentlessly towards their prey, to tear them limb from limb. While they were running across the field Aang bent an earth platform to raise himself where everyone could see him.

"Nations of Water, Earth, and Fire." He spoke loudly. "In the past we have been separated by war, but together we ended our strife. Today we prove our friendship, loyalty, and brotherhood for one another. Today we fight as one!"

The soldiers of the Nations chanted, "Fight as one! Fight as one! Fight as one!"

As the chant sounded amidst the coming roars, Aang turned his gaze toward the coming warg riders. Then Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe mounted on a ostrich-horse clad in bronze plates.

He gripped his whale toothed spear,"Cavalry Charge!"

At the sound of his command the cavalry of ostrich-horses and komodo-rhinos surged forward to meet the wargs. Battle cries sounded as the two cavalries neared. Finally, the two collided with one another like storming waves. The wargs, ostrich horses, and komodo-rhinos toppled on each other and riders were often thrown from their mounts. Wargs sunk their teeth and claws into their prey. The ostrich-horses were no fighting mounts resulting in being pinned down, their armor clawed away, and having their throats torn apart. Komodo-rhinos put up a heavier resistance, they were big and had coarse, grey skin, slightly protecting them and enabling them to impale wargs on their curved horns. Mounted orcs jabbed their polearms into the rhinos' hide. Screams could be heard from dismounted riders as the wargs tore them apart. Hokoda could be seen riding through the chaos with his black wolf helm shown, knocking off orcs with the butt of his spear and impaling wargs.

While the cavalries were battling, King Bumi caught sight of orc archers atop the gate and mountains drawing back their arrows.

"Fire!" roared Gothmog from enemy lines..

The arrows were loosed. Thousands of black arrows soared through the air, down toward the Nations' army. King Bumi, assisted by many other earthbenders, bent twenty feet tall earth walls in front of their troops. The arrows bounced off the earth shields. Though there were a few arrows that zoomed over the walls, deeper into the army. Mordor had the advantage of the terrain. Then, Bumi forced all the earth shields up from the ground at the archers. Many were crushed, but more arrived to replace a fallen archer.

As Bumi held off the archers, the skirmish between both cavalries was near its end. There were many riders and mounts who lay dead, though apparently the Nations' cavalry had been felled with arrows while the army had been shielded by King Bumi. Katara and Sokka soon caught sight of their father Hakoda rammed off his ostrich-horse by a lunging warg. His mount was disemboweled while Hokoda stood gripping his spear, surrounded by the fifteen remaining warg riders.

"Dad!" shouted Sokka and Katara.

Suddenly, Toph bent earth walls around him. The wargs angrily clawed at the stone. Then the earth barriers pushed up against the wargs far away from Hakoda and crushed them. Toph bent an earth column underneath Hakoda's feet and knocked him in the air back into their lines.

"Dad are you okay?" asked Sokka.

"I'm fine son," he replied. "Thank you for saving my life Toph."

Toph snorted, "Don't mention it."

Even though the warg cavalry had been defeated, archers were still bombarding the army. Then, Gothmog sounded another horn blast. The forces of Mordor broke off in a charge once they heard their general's command.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Suki, Mai, Hakoda, and Bumi stood in the front. Swordmaster Piandao took the left flank position, Pakku stayed in the right flank, and Iroh was placed at the rear. As the charging orcs neared, Aang raised his staff high and dashed towards them. Soon after, the rest of the army joined him in the charge. The servants of Mordor roared with anger as they charged towards their enemy. Each side was nearing the other as they yelled with fury. Once their armies met it was as if two waves collided with one another. The warriors of Water, Earth, and Fire fought with all their strength against the savagery of the orcs. Orcs slashed, stabbed, bashed and bit the benders and warriors. Warriors fought hand to hand combat with the ashy skinned beasts. But the orcs' brute strength overpowered some warriors which led to them being savagely killed. Heads of benders went flying in the air, limbs were sliced off, and broken and bloody bodies piled on top of the ground. The benders used their elements against their enemies and attempted to drive them back by killing any who came at them with water, earth, and fire. However, due to their great numbers whenever an orc was slain another took its place.

Aang and the others split up to fight different groups of orcs. Aang created a small tornado and sucked the orcs in. Once there was a great number of enemies in the tornado it blew them far up above the ground. Zuko burned his opponents to a crisp. Sokka swung his sword and slashed and stabbed the orcs, who once more proved to be strong and formidable warriors. Katara hurled ice daggers and used small waves against them. Toph crushed the orcs with earth. Suki and the Kyoshi warriors fought with their art of fan combat. They delivered various kicks and punches, caught their enemies' weapons in the fans and disarmed them. Mai danced around the savages, stuck them with her small steel daggers in close range, and threw concealed in her sleeves for long range. On the right flank, the waterbender master Pakku could be seen fending off the horde with massive waves of water from barrels brought from the sea. Piandao swirled around the left flank, hewing his steel sword against the iron weapons of the orcs. Chief Hakoda fought off easterlings and orcs by hacking them with his whale toothed weapons. King Bumi smashed the enemies with large boulders and platforms of earth. Throughout the battlefield, war cries and dying screams filled the air; along with the scent of blood.

The Nations' army pushed hard against the Mordor horde. Archers atop the Black Gate and mountain sides began firing flaming arrows. Warriors resorted to their shields for protection while the earthbenders, who were not occupied in the front lines shielded their allies, but there were not enough to cover everyone. Then, as Sokka impaled an uruk-hai, a large shadow stood over him.

"Sokka behind you!" shouted Suki.

He turned to see a roaring fifteen-foot troll towering above him. Then with a swing of its large grey skinned, three fingered fist, Sokka went flying into a group of warriors. Suki rushed to help him up. The ground shook in the front lines. From the Mordor lines, came a large party of fifteen foot trolls. They were clad in large iron plates beaten into lamed, spiked pauldrons, breastplates, greaves, and helmets, wielding massive spiked hammers and clubs. The attack trolls stomped through the Nations' army flanks, roaring and flinging their hammers and clubs. They smashed and knocked benders and warriors of all types as the brutes charged through the lines. Toph went to join another group of earthbenders in order to hold them off. She hurled many boulders at them but because of their great strength the trolls bashed them away with their large clubs. Toph knew they would not go down that easily.

The chaos spread throughout the lines of the army. Soldiers were crushed by the strong troll infantry. Some managed to get slain by the combined effort of water, earth, fire, steel, and bronze. Unfortunately, the trolls were protected by not only their heavy armor, but their strong, dense skin as well. As a counter attack, Iroh issued forth the two hundred Fire Nation assault tanks. The tanks were black iron vehicles, manned by three fire benders. An opening was located at the top of the tank, enabling a firebender to blast fire. The tanks assaulted the troll infantry. The brutes either shoved the tank away or furiously smashed their hammers upon the iron hulls. The tanks fired shots of flame at the trolls until the beasts would fall from the fire. Also with the trolls' focus on the tanks, this gave the soldiers the chance to attack from behind. Iroh bent great balls of fire at the beasts. The troll infantry was scattered throughout the chaos, but with the lines broken, the Mordor army continued to surge against them.

A Fire Nation horn sounded from the rear. At the command of the firebending master Jeong Jeong, the ten airships ascended. Beneath the iron hull of each ship were eight platforms on each side that was manned by a firebender and the front deck was where a cannon was stationed. Once the fleet had flown away from their allies and reached behind the Black Gate, looming directly over the Mordor army, a trap door under each iron ship opened and dropped cylinder shaped bombs. One by one, the bombs exploded into fire upon impact. Great numbers of orcs and men were burned alive by the weapons. Screams issued forth from the enemy lines. Although there was dismay amongst their army, the servants of Sauron remained in their positions instead of breaking formation. They were strongly disciplined to hold their positions in battle. Though that was their downfall in a bombardment. The explosives blew apart their lines and took out more and more troops. Cheers roared from the Nations' army; the tide had turned in their favor.

Suddenly, another orc horn blared from Mordor and hundreds of flaming boulders, hurled up from the mountain sides followed. Apparently, the forces of Sauron had stationed hundreds of catapults along the hill tops overlooking the battle. The rocks of fire collided with the airship fleet. The iron hulls were blown apart and firebenders and engineers could be seen falling from their ruined ships. The ships who took too many hits plummeted to the ground or crashed into the mountain sides. Again and again the catapults reloaded and fired at the colossal iron ships. Five airships still remained afloat but were badly damaged and attempting to escape from the bombardment.

Aang, Sokka, Toph, and the Kyoshi warriors flew with Appa to counter the catapults' assault and save the remaining ships. Along the way, black flaming arrows ripped through the wind as they bounced off Appa's red and gold plated armor. Aang bent an air bubble around everyone, protecting them from the arrows. When they finally reached the catapults, they saw orc engineers manning the catapults and trolls who wore wide-brimmed iron helmets with a spike on top, and a visor and leather flaps that shielded their eyes from any missile debris, loading the boulders. Also there were a great many of guards standing by.

Sokka whipped out a whale toothed spear and hurled it at an engineer. Then Aang leaped from Appa's head and brought down a gust of wind upon a catapult. The catapult shattered and the engineers were blown away, except for the work trolls. The trolls did not have weapons but spiked fists of iron instead. As a troll reached back to smash Aang, Appa rammed head first into the troll. The brute was knocked to the ground. Next, Sokka, Toph, and the Kyoshi warriors dismounted and attacked. Sokka swung his sword at many orcs, cutting them down. While Sokka distracted them Toph used her earthbending to destroy another catapult. suddenly fifteen vicious uruk-hai charged at her. She created a ditch beneath their feet to imprison them and entomb them. Suddenly, from behind an archer shot an arrow through her thigh. Toph fell to the ground wailing in pain, blood gushed from her wound.

"Toph!" shouted Sokka.

Then a large, muscular, heavily armored uruk stomped toward Toph, reaching back with a long black iron war hammer. As he moved closer, Suki dashed in between the beast and Toph, wiped out her curved steel blade, and slashed at the one weak spot on the uruk: the throat. Black blood poured from the open throat while the brute fell back. Though more orcs were coming. Ty Lee led the other Kyoshi warriors against the savages.

Sokka and Suki knelt beside Toph. "Are you alright Toph?" asked Suki.

"I'm fine," she groaned, clutching her bleeding thigh. "As long as my feet are unhurt I can fight."

She attempted to rise, but the pain in her thigh brought her back down.

Sokka broke in, "Not with that arrow you can't. We need to get out of here. We've done all we can, but we're outnumbered, and there are too many catapults to take down." He gazed over to see the airships, the bombardment was continuing but they had just made it over the Black Gate. "Let's go." He and Suki picked Toph up by the arms. "Aang, everyone, time to go!"

Aang had already taken out a dozen catapults while Appa fended off the trolls and orcs. Once Aang caught sight of Toph's bleeding thigh he summoned Appa away from the fight. The Kyoshi warriors soon followed. The group mounted Appa and escaped.

Appa flew them over the field of battle back to their lines. They landed in an earth walled enclosure where they saw Katara and Pakku and many other waterbenders healing wounded soldiers. Among the wounded were King Bumi and Hokoda. Bumi had suffered multiple arrow shots in his back and a stab in the right forearm. Hokoda had received a large red cut above his waist and a bruise on his forehead. Once they brought down Toph, Katara rushed over to assist.

Aang and Sokka held down Toph's arms and legs while Katara tended to the arrow.

"Fair warning Toph this is gonna hurt." Katara warned.

"I can take the pain easily," she boasted.

Katara sweated, "It lets us know that you're alive."

She snapped the tail of the black arrow off and yanked the other half out. Toph screamed and throbbed in the dirt but was kept still by Aang and Sokka. Then Katara applied water healing on the wound.

"See told ya I could take it." Toph sighed. She turned to Aang. "Don't worry twinkle toes, it's gonna take a lot more than an arrow to stop me!"

"I'm sure of that," jested Aang.

Sokka knelt by his father.

"Don't worry, son, I'll be alright. Thanks to your sister and grandfather," Hakoda assured.

Paku kindly spoke, "It's the responsibility of the elders to watch over the young. Especially if they're family."

Aang dashed over to the old Earth King. "Bumi are you okay?!" he exclaimed.

Bumi cackled and snorted, "Nothing to fear Aang. All I did was lower my guard in the rear because I focused on the front. But it's no big deal."

"Next time be more careful old friend," complained Pakku as he patched up a soldier's wound. "Taking a barrage of arrows to the back is enough to kill a man, especially an old man. You're lucky that I got to you in time."

"That's what friends are for." Bumi continued to cackle and snort.

Zuko came into the encampment followed by Mai, Piandao, and Iroh. Zuko had black blood stained on his red plated, golden lined armor from orcs he had slain, but also had a small gash on his cheek. Mai and Piandao's clothes were stained with orc blood as well and had a few scratches. Iroh was covered in bruises.

"Zuko! How's the battle going?" asked Aang.

Zuko spoke while Mai cleaned his cut cheek. "Although the airships managed to take down a large portion of the enemy, more and more keep coming from Mordor. Our vanguard managed to form up again after the troll attack and are currently holding off the relentless orc horde. The three remaining airships have been landed behind our army for quick repairs. I don't know if we can hold the enemy off much longer."

Bumi cackled, "We've still got enough fighting spirit."

"That's true," Iroh added. "A warrior must have the will to fight in a battle. During the airship strike our moral increased." He turned to Aang. "But above all, the presence of the Avatar and his comrades is what gives our troops their strength."

Aang could hear the countless dying screams from above their small fortress. "Well that's good and all but..."

All of a sudden he was cut off by a tremor in the ground. It shook everyone out of place.

"What was that! An earthquake?!" Sokka staggered.

Toph felt the ground and answered, "No. Something big is coming!"

Aang leaped upon the wall and saw a sight that made his heart sink. Zuko climbed up to see as well. His eyes widened with fear and shouted to everyone, "IT'S A MUMAKIL STAMPEDE!"

Distress grew within the group. They gazed beyond the army and saw that Zuko's words spoke the truth. From far behind the Mordor army, came a dozen charging mumakil. The grey beasts towered a hundred feet tall with four huge tusks and two smaller ones to each side of the mouth. Their bellowing spread throughout the battlefield amidst the screams. Strapped to their backs were war towers made of bamboo and dense leather that were comprised of three layers, the size went from largest to smallest up to the top. The frames along the sides hung the red and black banners that depicted the Eye of Mordor and the snake of the east.

Haradrim archers were stationed on the war towers who were readying their aim for the kill. Foot soldiers of Mordor dodged the mumakils' charging feet in order to avoid getting trampled. The monstrous war beasts made their way into the heart of the army of water, earth, and fire crushing their bodies as they walked. Men stood on the mumakils' heads, steering the beasts with long reins and swinging their tusks at their foes. Those who evaded the stampede were shot dead by archers at the top of the mumakil. Fire Nation tanks were crushed beneath the massive feet of the mumakil. Chaos spread throughout the army. Then the Fire Nation launched red war balloons that had been concealed in the remaining airships. Fire benders shot fire from the balloons at the beasts' heads and archers but one after another the war balloons went down because of the rapid firing of arrows from the haradrim.

"That's gonna be a problem," sighed Mai.

"How are we gonna stop those things?!" exclaimed Suki.

All of a sudden, King Bumi pulled himself to his feet despite the pain in his back and arm, and walked outside the barrier.

"Bumi! You shouldn't be getting up yet!" warned Aang as he dashed out to him.

The old earth king cackled and bent a large earth spike from the ground. "When engaged in combat... earthbenders face their enemies HEAD ON!"

He drove the spike from the earth and made it fly directly into the center of a mumakil's skull. The beast wailed as it collapsed to the ground.

"That was awesome Bumi!" Sokka hooted.

The old earth king cackled.

"Apparently that's how we'll take those beasts down," announced Paku. "Spread the word to the troops to aim..."

Without warning, Pakku's speech was cut off by a long black sword piercing his chest. Everyone became horror struck by the sight. Crimson blood coated the blade and streamed from his mouth.

"Sleep now old one, and embrace the Abyss!" growled the dark lieutenant as he wrenched his sword free.

"No!" Katara screamed as she ran to catch her grandfather as he fell.

Sokka, Hakoda, and Aang crowded around Katara clutching the dead waterbending master. Blood flowed from the body. Katara cried uncontrollably. Sokka and Hakoda shed tears as well.

"Pakku," Aang shivered.

Hokoda gazed up at the Mouth of Sauron who was giving one of his bloody smiles at his kill. He gripped his spear, clenching his teeth, "You...you MONSTER!"

Hokoda lunged at the Mouth of Sauron with his spear in hand. The dark lieutenant deflected the spear point with his black blade and slashed at Hokoda. Hokoda parried it and cut the air towards his enemy's head. The Mouth of Sauron leaned his head back and grabbed the spear shaft. He pulled Hokoda with the spear and kicked him in the gut. Hokoda fell backwards to the black dirt. Then the Mouth of Sauron hurled the spear at him. Hokoda rolled over to one side but then saw the dark lieutenant leap in the air with his sword raised. Suddenly, swordmaster Piandao caught the blow with his steel sword and engaged him.

As the blades sang they became locked in place.

Piandao spoke as he held the sword, "You're skilled with a blade lieutenant of Mordor. But stabbing an old man in the back is a coward's tactic!"

The Mouth of Sauron barred his bloody teeth, "It's a necessary tactic to achieve dominance in the field of battle. Besides, that old man and all of you let your guard down. Take a look around all of you and see what the stampede has brought."

Everyone turned their gaze to the battlefield. The mumakil stampede had broken their lines and the Mordor troops had breached deeper into their army. It was clear that the Mouth of Sauron had snuck past the soldiers and made it into the heart of the army.

"Pitiful fools, you are only delaying the inevitable. You hoped to protect your precious world through your efforts yet they have been for naught. When this day is done, our master shall return and your nations will be burnt into oblivion!"

The Mouth of Sauron broke the hold and arrogantly made an uppercut slash with his black sword. Piandao crouched down and knocked the sword from his hand. The Mouth of Sauron snarled at him and raised his hand high. Then from nothing, a dark staff appeared in his palm. Piandao struck again with a slide slash. Upon impact with the sword, the staff emitted a dark aura and blasted Piandao into the air. Piandao landed on the ground and was in a state of overwhelming trauma. Suddenly, Katara bent a great wave of water, solidified the wave into ice shards, and hurled them at the dark lieutenant with great fury. Before they could hit him the Mouth of Sauron raised his staff above his head and from the white crystal at the top a dark magical shield formed around him and deflected the shards.

"You'll pay for what you did to my grandfather and master!" Katara yelled.

The Mouth of Sauron laughed, "Arrogant hag! It's hopeless! Your waterbending is no match for the dark arts."

He pulled back his right hand and shot dark lightning. Everyone evaded the attack but the black electricity shot through the earth barrier housing the wounded. The wounded and healers were electrocuted, screaming in agonizing pain.

"Now you dare attack the wounded!" roared Toph as she hurled a giant boulder at the dark sorcerer.

The Mouth of Sauron twirled his staff around and stabbed the butt of it into the incoming boulder. The rock burst into pieces because of a dark blast. Then the lieutenant released another black bolt at Toph. Before the lightning could strike Toph, Zuko moved in front of her, caught the lightning with the tips of his fingers, and redirected it at the sorcerer. Another magical shield was formed to block it. Sokka and Suki charged at him from the right and the left. The lieutenant twirled his staff again, blocked their attacks, and bashed them with the aid of dark magic from his staff. Then he shot a great ball of fire at Sokka and Suki. Iroh harnessed the flame and redirected it. Suddenly, Ozai jetted down in front of the Mouth of Sauron and caught the flame.

"Ozai!" spoke Iroh.

"At last the time has come to take my revenge!" Ozai grinned.

Ozai unleashed a great fire blast from his palms. Aang, Zuko, and Iroh deflected the flame. Then, the former Phoenix King propelled himself with fire from the soles of his feet toward Aang. Iroh intervened by blasting fireballs at his younger brother. Ozai evaded the balls and fired again. Iroh parried the attack and created a fire whip to break Ozai's propelled feet.

"Brother, if you wish to get to Aang, then you'll have to fight me first!" Iroh challenged.

Ozai smirked, "Very well brother. It's amazing how throughout our lives we've never actually battled each other. Let's see which one of us is the stronger fire bender!"

Ozai and Iroh harnessed massive fire and dueled.

Suddenly, the orc general Gothmog, charged into the group upon his warg. He grasped a spear in his right misshapen hand while he steered the warg with his left. The orc jabbed the spear at Sokka who deflected it. Then the warg lunged at Sokka and pinned him to the ground. Sokka struggled but could not break free of the beast's claws. As the warg opened its jaw and lowered down to bite Sokka's head, Hokoda stuck a spear through the beast's head. The warg became paralyzed and then collapsed. Gothmog tumbled off his mount but got back up. He threw his spear toward Hokoda. Suki kicked the shaft away. The orc general growled, baring his rotten yellow teeth and drew a large, crudely curved, iron sword from his waist. Hokoda engaged him with a whale toothed blade. Gothmog swung his sword with great force by throwing his weight along with the sword. His left arm and leg were crippled and would be of no help to him.

All of a sudden a great amount of shrill cries came from the sky that seemed to make every fighter freeze. It felt like a shadow of fear and despair had descended over all of them.

Aang and the others gazed up at the sky and became paralyzed with fear.

"What... what are those things?!" shivered Suki.

"NAZGUL!" shouted Zuko.

The Mouth of Sauron laughed, "At last, the Witch King and the Nazgul have arrived on their flying beasts to strengthen our army. Despair awaits all of you!"

Like vultures circling the sky for food, the nine Ringwraiths flew on their fell beasts. The flying monsters seemed to be of a mix between a dragon and a serpent. Their dead grey scaly bodies had a row of venomous spines running down their backs. They seemed to measure a hundred feet in length and their bat like wings spread far. Also, each fell beast had three great claws on each foot. The Witch King's mount could be distinguished from the rest because it wore a spiked iron helmet and faceplate.

As terrifying as the fell beasts were, the riders instilled the horror in the troops. Black cloaked beings whose presence made the toxic air of Mordor run as cold as death. Their shrill screams sounded throughout the battlefield. The Witch King's cry was the worst. Its loud shriek threw the troops into a panic and could not bear the intensity of the sound. This gave the brutish orcs enough time to savagely strike down the victims. Four fell beasts swooped down, picked benders up in their claws, and threw them into the mountain side. One reached down with his mouth and ate them. Three Ringwraiths jumped off their flying mounts into the air. They landed with great impacts and used their deadly swordsmanship to kill their prey.

Aang spoke, "I'm going to go fight off the Nazgul." He mounted on Appa and ascended to meet the Ringwraiths in aerial combat.

He charged with Appa at a Nazgul and his fell beast and drove them into a hill. Then another one caught Appa by his armor with its claws and threw them to the ground. He got back up and took off. Aang blasted air at the beast's stomach, which knocked it into the mountain side.

Without warning, one more rammed into them, tore off a piece of Appa's back armor with its fangs and bit him. Appa roared in pain as the fell beast's teeth sank into his hide. Aang swiped air with his staff at the fell beast's head but it was armored. Next, Aang shot fire at the armored head. The skin was still protected but the eyes were hit by the flame. The beast angrily let go as it screeched at the pain.

"Appa are you okay?" asked Aang.

Appa grumbled as a sign of relief. Aang raised his head up to face his opponent. It was the lord of the Nazgul: the Witch King.

Aang recognized the Witch King's appearance from the statue in the shrine. His shoulder pauldrons resembled that of dragon wings, the heavy gauntlets were covered in numerous interlocking lames that were like scales, and his helm was crowned with spikes along the rim, a large point at the center, two eye holes, and a large gaping mouth. Though his appearance was more intimidating in person, the feeling of death and despair seemed reek from his body. He was undoubtedly the most horrific of the nine.

He held his beast in place, hovering close to Aang and Appa. "So you're the Avatar," spoke the Witch King in his ghostly voice, which made Aang's skin crawl. "Well, it's hard to believe that a young boy saved the world from the Fire Nation. But it's even harder to believe that you think you can defeat us. It's best for you to surrender."

"Forget it! I, my friends, and the people of the world will never surrender to the likes of you. You who would destroy a peaceful world that we struggled so hard to achieve."

"Do you not know death when you see it foolish boy?! Do you not know who I am?! I am the lord of the Nazgul, the captain of despair, answerable only to the lord of Mordor! I will ensure that no one stands in his way on this day. For once this battle is over my Master will have dominion over all!"

"Not while I'm around!"

"So be it!"

Both charged until they crashed into each other. They went spinning in the air together, the fell beast bit Appa's back again. Appa roared in pain. Aang tried to knock off the fell beast, but this time it had a tighter grip. Then the Witch King leaped into the air and swung his two weapons: a long black sword and a large spiked mace. Aang dodged the mace but the point of the sword made a close cut on his arm. The blade that made the cut was cold as ice and the cut on his arm made it feel as if it were frozen. He got on his knees for a moment, without warning, the Witch King tried to hit him with the mace. Aang dodged it but the point of it hit his other arm. Both arms were rendered injured and were losing blood.

Then, Aang got knocked on his back. The Witch King grabbed him by the neck. The wraith's grip made his body shiver and feel weak, so he could not move his limbs. He reached back with his black sword to thrust it through Aang's chest. Before he could make the final blow Aang blew fire from his mouth. The Witch King dropped him and unleashed his terrible cry in pain. Fire was the Ringwraiths' weakness but it could not completely kill them. Once he put out the fire the Witch King raised his sword and it became engulfed in a purple flame. Once again he made a loud cry and stabbed his sword into Appa's armor. A powerful shock wave emitted from the blade on impact and destroyed the armor. Appa was in more pain than he ever felt before. His white fur had been burnt with a dark flame and was stained red by his blood. The lord of the Nazgul leaped back onto his beast. The beast caught Appa in its claws, still holding onto the bite, and drove Appa to the ground.

They landed in the area where Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and the others were battling against the Mouth of Sauron, Ozai, Gothmog, and their forces. Appa no longer gave any resistance to the fell beast, he was far too weak and badly hurt to fight. Suddenly, Bumi made an earth pillar rise up from underneath the fell beast's stomach and pushed him off Appa. The beast fell over but the Witch King had leapt off before it fell on its back.

Appa made a groan of relief over the removal of the beast's bite. The fell beast had left large teeth marks in Appa's back and his fur had been both bloodied and singed from the Witch King's attack. Aang scurried over to Appa's side with Katara beside him.

The Witch King approached closer, "I warned you to give up while you still had the chance Avatar. Now, because of your actions you and all who have followed you into battle... shall die."

Aang, ignoring his words, furiously dashed towards the captain of despair. The Witch King stabbed his sword into the ground while it was engulfed in a purple flame and ruptured the ground to explode in purple fire. Aang jumped above the wraith's head as the ground exploded and landed on a small boulder.

He reached his fist back for a fire blast, "Burn away you..." suddenly Aang lost strength in speaking. His body began to shake and grew very weak. Soon he found himself tumbling off the boulder.

"Aang!" screamed Katara.

The Witch King took advantage of his weakness and jumped into the air with his sword raised high. As he neared Aang, Piandao blocked the wraith's blade. While Piandao locked blades with the Witch King, Toph bent earth underneath Aang and propelled him over to herself and the others.

Katara propped him up."What's wrong Aang?!"

"Please don't tell me that now of all times you start wimping out twinkle toes!" Toph barked.

Aang panted, "I... I don't know what's... wrong. I... just... feel very weak right now."

Zuko knelt down beside Aang and Katara.

Katara noticed, "You're burning up."

Zuko touched Aang's wrist to see for himself. Then his eyes widened, "Aang... please tell me that while you were battling the Witch King in the sky that he didn't touch you!"

Aang nodded his head and gestured toward the imprints on his neck where the spiked gauntlet had grabbed him.

"Oh this is bad!"

"What's wrong Zuko?!" asked Katara.

"I should have mentioned this earlier. There is a disease that emits from the bodies of the Nazgul, known as the "Black Breath." It's a sickness that renders the body of the victim useless but does damage on the mind as well. The victim falls into a coma where the mind becomes plagued by dreams of despair. The sickness is transferred through physical contact. Unless the "Black Breath" is treated, the victim eventually succumbs to his or her despair and dies."

Everyone's eyes widened in fear.

"We have to treat it fast!" Katara snapped.

"There's no time and the means of curing it are long gone!"

"What!"

"I can't explain everything right now. I'll only say that in the elder days it was said, "Only the hands of the King will heal all ills." But only a true king from the past would have those abilities. We don't have the means of treating it!"

"It's... alright," Aang panted. He rose from Katara's arms.

"Aang what are you...?"

"I won't lose to something like this. As long as I'm still breathing I will fight!"

Zuko, Katara, and the others smiled. Soon their smiles disappeared once they caught the sound Piandao's groan.

Piandao's sword had been shattered by the magic that enchanted the Witch King's blade and the sword master himself was maced in the chest and thrown to the ground. Blood stained the black sand as Piandao grunted at the anguish. Then the Witch King grabbed him by the black, grey, woven hair of his head and held him up.

"Master Piandao!" yelled Sokka as he surged forward.

Before he could reach him, the Witch King unleashed another shrill cry that threw everyone into turmoil. The lord of the Nazgul raised his sword high with his right.

Amidst the chaos of the cry, Sokka reached out yelling, "Noooo!"

The black blade was brought down. The headless body collapsed to the black dirt. Piandao's head was still clutched by the Witch King. Its eyes held no life in them and its mouth drooped open with blood spilling out. The Witch King then tossed the head. The sword master's head rolled to Sokka's feet. Katara, Suki, and Mai held their hands to their mouths, Aang, Zuko, Toph, even Iroh, Bumi, and Hokoda who were preoccupied by the other Mordor leaders were stone faced, and Sokka could not take his eyes off it.

Sokka raised his face toward the Witch King. His angry eyes let loose a few tears. Then he rushed forward yelling, "I'LL KILL YOU!"

Zuko ran up and restrained him. "Sokka don't be a fool! You're no match for him and you can't kill him even if you wanted to!"

Sokka tried to break free but Zuko held him in a headlock.

"You should listen to your friend," the Witch King spoke ghostly. "No mortal man can kill me. Only death awaits you all. Look around you."

By then Sokka stopped struggling, still holding a look of hatred for the lord of the Nazgul, and joined everyone in looking out on the battlefield. They all beheld the horror of war. Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation alike were being slaughtered without mercy. The servants of Sauron severed limbs and heads from bodies, bashed and bit them to the point of death. Corpses of the fallen were impaled on spears by the orcs. Blood was spilt from the broken bodies of allies and the very air itself was made fouler with the stench of their blood. Trolls and mumakil rampaged throughout the battlefield, crushing everything in their path. Their numbers were decreasing rapidly, but the soldiers of the Nations kept pushing themselves to fight.

Aang now realized that this was a trap from the beginning. Sauron had launched that attack on the Fire Nation capital to draw themselves into the very entrance of his dark kingdom. Where no matter how many numbers they had or what fighting machines they brought with them, they would be butchered to the last man.


	10. Chapter 10: The Heavens Shake

X. The Heavens Shake

The Mouth of Sauron, Ozai, and Gothmog joined with the Witch King.

Katara broke the silence, "We should escape while we still can and come back another day."

"That's easier said than done Katara," Zuko replied.

The Mouth of Sauron laughed, "Such pitiful, insignificant worms. You all sealed your fate the very moment you stepped into the realm of our master."

"We'll fight to the last man!" boasted Sokka.

"Then..." The Witch King cut the lieutenant off by waving his gauntlet in front of his face. The Mouth of Sauron was confused but instantly calmed his cut up mouth as if he understood what the Witch King meant. Gothmog and Ozai soon followed their attitudes.

The lord of the Nazgul announced solemnly, "Our master... is coming."

This caught Aang, Zuko, and the rest with shock and stone cold fear. Suddenly an evil presence spread throughout the field of battle. It was full of dread and despair. The clashing armies put their battle to a halt. The Mordor army withdrew and returned to their lines while the remaining soldiers of the Nations remained frozen in place. The Witch King, the Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, Ozai, and the rest of the Nazgul met up with their troops. Aang and his friends remained. They could all feel it, an incoming malice was approaching.

All of a sudden, down from the sky, came a shroud of darkness that impacted the ground with such force that smoke spread throughout the area. Aang grew even more fatigued from a great evil presence. Many soldiers felt their hearts sink.

"What's going on?" shivered Suki.

Everyone was fearfully sweating uncontrollably. They knew deep down in their hearts what had come.

Then, the dark shroud began to gather toward its center. Once it had been fully gathered, it took the form of a cloaked figure. He had no face within his shadow of a hood save for his eyes. They were blazing eyes, wreathed in flame.

"We meet at last Avatar." said the figure in a dark voice.

Aang's eyes opened wide and his body was trembling with fear. He knew who was addressing him.

"You...you're him...you're... Sauron!"

Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Mai, Suki, Iroh, Hokoda, Bumi, and the rest of their army shook with sweat.

"Not quite, what you see before you is but a mere shadow of what was once the Dark Lord. But it matters not, fore on this long awaited day, this world shall at last be mine. If you want to keep your lives you may surrender and maybe I'll forgive you, and stay my wrath."

Zuko brought up the courage to answer him, "Not while we're still breathing!"

"If you think we'll lay down our arms because we're afraid then go hit your head on a rock!" shouted Toph.

Sokka replied in remark, "You're powerless right now and Aang is full of power. I've seen what kind of strength he has. So I say you're dead meat!"

Suki stepped beside him. "Sokka he's not even real flesh."

Even though they boasted such words, they were deeply afraid. Sauron's eyes flared in anger. The very air grew hateful along with his mood. Suddenly, dark strands of magic shot from his body. Aang and his friends evaded them but the soldiers that stood behind them were devoured. They screamed in terror as the darkness ate away their existence. Once the magic had cleared away, not even a scrap of their armor remained. Any brave spark of confidence that had burned in the hearts of the Avatar and his friends had been doused; replaced by uncontrollable fear.

"I do not need my full power to erase you from existence," threatened the cloaked figure. "Still, you have overlooked a consequence of fate. Have you forgotten? That on the day of spirits: the solstice, I will reclaim what is mine."

Despair hit the group. They each remembered the prophecy involving the solstice but had completely forgotten. It took many months to reach Mordor from the Fire Nation and their track of days was clouded because of their planning and exhaustion.

"Yes. The day of spirits is today as well as the day that the darkness will engulf the world."

The cloaked figure stretched out his shadowy arm and opened his palm. To the horror of Aang and the rest, lying on top of it was a golden ring. Red markings appeared on the band and everyone knew that it was his greatest weapon: the One Ring of power.

"My Return... begins now."

He slipped on the One Ring. Next, a storm began to grow until there was a massive lightning storm. Harsh winds blew all around. Red bolts struck from the dark sky and hit him. He grew nine feet tall. The shadow of a cloak burned away, revealing a fiery form. His flame body soon began to transform into burnt, grey flesh. Then, a dark smokey, aura enveloped his body and formed a large, spiked armor. The armor completely covered his body except for his head. The spikes stood out from his body like black thorns, chain mail could be seen along with the armor, which consisted of plated collar, pauldrons, cuirass, rerebraces, vambraces, cuisses, greaves, and sabatons. Each was a combination of spikes, curves, and straight lines. Lastly a large helmet with huge spikes on top and had long fluked sides that were eerily reminiscent of the shape of a horse's skull, formed from the aura around his black burnt face. The aura vanished and the completion created a large blast of wind that broke out everywhere and caused a dark, dust cloud. Everyone was coughing and complaining that they could not see. When it finally cleared they all saw a tall creature covered in spiked armor with a black cape. Aang and the others' worst nightmare had come true at last: the Dark Lord Sauron had returned.

Everyone was terrified. His very presence intoxicated them, rendering it hard to breathe. Aang was the most scared because now he would have to face the toughest enemy he ever met. Sauron examined his body then he gave a powerful roar in his dark voice that sounded for miles. All of his followers bowed down to him.

Once the roar had stopped he spoke again. "Avatar Aang, you cannot hide from your fear of me any longer. For now my power has been restored at last."

"I...I don't know how." Shivered Aang. "But... somehow... we'll defeat you."

"I don't think so boy." The Dark Lord's voice had grown stronger and darker. Sauron waved his great spiked hand at his army.

The Witch King and all the other leaders understood. The Wraith spoke, "It will be as you command master." He turned toward the army. "No warrior is to involve himself in the upcoming battle. It is the time for our master to show his strength."

The Mordor army let out a triumphant roar.

"Now..." Said the Dark Lord. "Allow me to show you all what true power is!"

He raised his hands high and created large pillars of flames and fired them towards the army of the Nations. Earthbenders created big earth walls that were able to block it, but the strength of the fire was so great that the walls were blown apart and many were incinerated. Aang, Zuko, Iroh, Bumi, and several hundreds of benders and warriors managed to evade or deflect the fire.

Zuko commanded, "Focus all your attack power on Sauron!"

The army obeyed. They encircled him on both sides and charged. Sauron spread his arms and commanded the earth to take the form of spikes which rapidly came sprouting out of the ground. Hundreds of troops were impaled. The spikes did not stop though and were spreading out even further. Aang, Toph, Bumi, and other earthbenders made large platforms that rose up and protected the soldiers. Unfortunately, with a single grasp command from his palm, Sauron crushed the platforms, causing many to fall to their deaths.

Next, the Dark Lord pulled massive amounts of water from the Dead Marshes, and formed a great tidal wave. As it fell the water turned into thousands of ice shards. Earthbenders shielded themselves, waterbenders tried to stop them from piercing them but it was too late. Many benders and warriors were shredded to pieces.

Surprisingly, an explosive landed close to Sauron; though it did not phase him in the slightest. The bomb had come from the three remaining air ships commanded by Jeong Jeong. The airships shot bombs and fire at Sauron. Soon he reached his hand out to the sky. From the black sky, a giant tornado emerged and sucked up the rest of the airship fleet. As they were spinning aimlessly in the tornado Sauron ordered red lightning bolts to shoot down from the black sky into the tornado and causing a monstrous explosion.

The force from the explosion knocked back Aang and the others. Shockingly, everyone caught sight of Jeong Jeong propelling himself down toward Sauron. As he neared he reached back with his hand and unleashed a powerful fire blast. Sauron deflected the blast with his palm but Jeong Jeong continued to press onward.

"Jeong Jeong! Stop!" shouted Aang.

His words fell on deaf ears. The old fire bender pressed harder into the attack. In the blinding light of his fire, Jeong Jeong could no longer see his enemy but continued his assault. Then from out of the flame came a black, spiked gauntlet that grabbed Jeong Jeong by the throat. Jeong Jeong's flame stopped and he found himself in the crushing choke hold of the Dark Lord. The old fire bender struggled as the sharp finger tips dug into his light brown skin.

"Let yourself be destroyed by that which gives you strength," Sauron spoke.

All of a sudden Jeong Jeong felt his body heat up with a tremendous speed. It felt as if a fire was growing inside his very stomach. Next his white hair caught fire and the rest of his body soon followed. The old fire bender screamed and thrived in agony as the flames consumed him. At last the struggling and screaming stopped and the Dark Lord Sauron released the burnt body.

Aang and the rest could not believe their eyes. The might of Sauron was truly great, even the heat from his monstrous body was enough to incinerate an enemy. Before they had a chance to express their anger and grief, Sauron created a giant rock slide from the mountains that was coming straight for them. Once again the earth benders put up barriers. Though to everyone's surprise, from behind the earthbenders the ground opened up and a trench of lava was formed. Before they realized the lava trench, lots of benders and warriors in the back fell into the chasms and burned. This weakened their defense and ensured the rock slide to continue. With quick thinking, Aang, Toph, and Bumi jumped on top of the barriers and with all of their earthbending might they stopped most of the big boulders. Then they hurled them at Sauron. The Dark Lord stretched out his hand and at a single flex of his palm the boulders turned into gravel. Next, he blasted a great amount of red lightning from his finger tips towards his enemies. Aang, Zuko, and Iroh, who knew how to redirect lightning, stood in front of their allies and caught the bolts of electricity. While they held off the lightning, the red electricity caused their bodies to feel the pain of a thousand knives. The red lightning was enhanced with magic, therefore it was deadlier than normal lightning. With enough willpower to ignore the pain, the three immediately blasted the lighting back at Sauron. Surprisingly, Sauron did not move to redirect it and let it hit him. Although, the blast did not even make him stagger; his being was far too powerful to be weakened by his own power.

The Dark Lord raised both his hands, spread his black palms, and shot dense spouts of water. The water soon took the form of a large wave that cast a shadow over hundreds of soldiers. Aang, Katara, and the remaining water benders diverted it as it toppled down. But Sauron's powerful water continued to pour from his hands and then he merged the water with red electricity. The electrified water became too much for them to handle and eventually it forced them to give in. Toph and Bumi bent earth pillars in order to raise most of them above the deadly water. Those who did not make it were swept away by the wave into the mountain side. When the water had gone down many soldiers had either been impaled by ice shards or died of electrocution.

Sauron once again made a tremendous amount of boulders from the mountain side fall with one hand and created fire in his other hand. When the boulders reached him, he blasted them with a firestorm. The two quickly merged into lava. Then Sauron hurled a giant wave of lava at the army. Countless soldiers fruitlessly tried to run from it even as it toppled on them, devouring their bodies. Bumi and surviving earth benders formed barriers and ditches in order to contain the lava and stop it from spreading.

The survivors of the army of Nations were horror struck by the power of the Dark Lord of Mordor. Even though their numbers had already dwindled because of the Mordor horde, Sauron had managed to annihilate a myriad number of soldiers in a quick span of time. Now their strength was reduced to weak, and half dead fighters struggling to stay alive.

The Dark Lord announced darkly, grim, "You have now seen for yourselves that my powers are far beyond the skills you possess to bend the elements. It was a certain result. It was _I_ who bestowed the power to bend the elements of air, water, earth, and fire. _I_ enabled all of you to create the Four Nations. _I_ am your creator and master. Yet, instead of loyalty and servitude... you repay your creator with rebellion. And in doing so... you all have sealed your own doom." A large spiked mace appeared in his right hand. The weapon itself measured by five feet, it had the quality of black iron, and was fitted with six angular blades at its head. It could vaguely be seen that the mace shared an intaglio pattern that was etched on Sauron's monstrous armor. "Those who betray the Dark Lord of Mordor are met with wrath and ruin."

Sauron approached the battered forces. The soldiers felt great intimidation as he drew closer but that did not stop them from surging forward, yelling for battle. Once they reached him, Sauron raised his mace and with a single swing and in a blinding flash of light, several benders and warriors were sent flying. He was not only a great and powerful bender, but an unstoppable warrior. With each step he took legions of men were battered away. Soldiers came from behind to encircle him. The Dark Lord gripped his mace with both hands and the weapon became engulfed in a dark aura. Then he stabbed it into the black soil, upon impact a large dark shock wave erupted and completely disintegrated about thirty men.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, Mai, Iroh, Bumi, Suki, and the Kyoshi warriors were paralyzed by the might of Sauron.

"This can't be happening! Is there no end to his power?!" blurted out Suki.

Aang desperately wanted to help, unfortunately the effects of the Witch King's poison and the strain from blocking the Dark Lord's previous and brutal attacks made his movements unbearable.

Iroh, King Bumi, and Hokoda surged forward to everyone's dismay; they feared that like the others they also would fall. Hokoda threw a spear at Sauron. The Dark Lord quickly destroyed it with a swing from his mace. Then Bumi pulled a massive boulder from the ground, that was the size of a hundred men and hurled it. Sauron shattered it with a single blow. Suddenly, Sauron stretched his left hand forward and commanded a spout of lava to erupt from beneath their feet. Bumi managed to force the three of them away from the erupting column of molten rock. Iroh and Bumi combined their strength in order to control the lava and fire it toward the Dark Lord. Sauron caught it with his hand and forced it to harden. Bumi took the advantage of the hardened magma by skating along the earth with the tips of his toes. He brought small landslides uphill on both of his sides and forced them towards Sauron. Sauron dodged the attack by ascending into the air by a spiral of wind from his feet. Then he propelled himself with great speed towards Bumi, holding back his mace. The mace bashed the old king's skull, sending red pieces of brain and blood flying into the air. Bumi was knocked away from the Dark Lord and crashed into the mountain side.

"Bumiiii!" yelled Aang tearfully, in horror.

Katara and Suki screamed. Sokka, Zuko, Toph, and the rest were appalled. The body no longer resembled Aang's century old friend. There were no droopy eyes and no cackling smile. What remained was a red ruined face with no features.

Without warning, Sauron knocked Iroh and Hokoda all the way to his feet using earth. He encased their wrists and ankles in earth bonds and gathered electricity in his left hand.

"Dad!" shouted Sokka and Katara simultaneously.

Suddenly, Zuko charged in with duel flame swords and leaped into the air while shouting, "That's ENOUGH!"

The young Fire Lord made a fiery cut on the collar, but scraped himself on the shoulder spikes in the process. Sauron halted his lightning strike. Cheers sounded from the surviving soldiers.

"Way to go Zuko!" boasted Sokka.

Their joy soon stopped after Zuko dropped to his knees and clutched his side where he had scraped himself. He was thriving in pain.

"That was futile young Fire Lord," addressed the Dark Lord. "A deadly poison flows throughout the runes to the points of my armor. You will soon die in vain. A fitting end for a traitor."

"I'm no traitor!" Zuko blurted out.

"Have you forgotten? In the days of your exile you prayed to me for strength and support in your quest of capturing the Avatar. Then, once you returned to the Fire Nation you swore you would serve me forever. Despite your words, you desecrated my temples, abolished my worship, and turned the Fire Nation against me as well."

Zuko exclaimed in a weakened state because of the poison, "I guess some people… aren't as loyal as… you think. Especially, when they find out how... evil… and... cruel…you are."

"Death is not enough for your treasonous decisions. Before you death claims you, I will have you watch as those closest to you die."

With those words, the Dark Lord turned to Aang. He sprayed a whip of dark magic from his palm, grabbed Aang by his ankle, and pulled him towards himself.

"I need not bother with such vermin as long as I can rid myself of the Avatar."

Aang's eyes widened. He was too weak from the Black Breath to struggle. Sauron's mace vanished from his palm and was replaced by a massive, black, double edged sword that measured six feet long. Next, the black blade became enveloped in dark fire. He raised the fiery, monstrous blade with his great arm, which would have required the strength of eight men to wield.

"Aaaaaang!" screamed Katara.

"Stoooop!" yelled Sokka.

Aang closed his eyes as Sauron drove the sword down. He could feel the drops of his blood spray his body. Strangely though, Aang felt no pain except for the sickness. He opened his eyes slowly to gaze upon his body. There was no piercing of any kind. Aang soon realized that the redness that stained his clothing and skin was not his blood. He looked up and beheld a sight that chilled him to the very core of his body.

"Zuko." spoke Aang in disbelief.

The young Fire Lord stood solidly over him with the dark fiery, black blade's point sticking out of his chest. Zuko had locked his jaw in holding off the pierce. The shadow of the Dark Lord Sauron loomed above them. He dislodged the blade from the dying Fire Lord.

From the army of Nations Mai's tearful scream broke the silence, "ZUKOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The army went into a frenzy. Katara and Suki put their hands over their mouths.

"Zuko. No." Sokka said grimly.

From where he was chained to the earth, Iroh's eyes narrowed on his nephew in shock. Panic consumed the Fire Nation soldiers, they all held their Fire Lord dear in their hearts and to see him fatally wounded shattered their spirits.

"So..." said the Dark Lord. "You've decided to throw away your life for the safety of the Avatar as well as your comrade. Now you must realize that there is only death for you."

"SHUT UP!" Aang furiously yelled.

"NOOOOOOO!" the angry scream from Iroh sounded far across the battlefield.

In his fury he broke from the earth bonds with the assistance of fire and blasted fire balls at Sauron. Sauron deflected them but that did not stop the old general from unleashing more fire. Then the rest of the army joined him in the attack on the Dark Lord. Chaos erupted throughout the soldiers of the Nations, though Sauron continued to exterminate them. In the frenzy, Zuko coughed up crimson blood and would have collapsed if Aang had not caught him. Mai and Katara dashed to their side while Sokka, Toph, and Suki went to free Hakoda.

Mai was spilling tears from her eyes uncontrollably, she tried to hold Zuko's head up in order to gain his attention. "Zuko... keep looking at me..." she sobbed. "You're going to be alright. Do you hear me?! You're going to be alright!"

"Katara heal him!" Aang exclaimed.

"Alright, don't worry I'll help him," Katara answered.

Katara enveloped her hands in water, which began to glow. The water tribe was gifted with the ability to heal with water bending. She placed her hands on Zuko's large wound that took up most of his back. Zuko grinned his teeth at the pain. Suddenly, dark flames rose from the wound and forced Katara to withdraw her hands. Sokka, Toph, and Suki met up with them after freeing Hakoda, who rushed off to join the battle.

"How is he?!" asked Sokka nervously.

Katara felt pain in her hands from the dark flame. She could not take her grim stare off of Zuko's wound.

"Katara what's wrong?! Help him!" Aang said dramatically.

"Please I beg you Katara, please save Zuko!" Mai pleaded tearfully.

Tears formed in Katara's eyes, "I... I'm sorry... I can't." The group of comrades looked at her in disbelief. "The wound is enchanted with dark magic that prevents me from healing him. And... the wound has already done too much damage."

These words settled on the group. The color was slowly leaving Zuko's face, blood continued to travel from the whole in his chest, and Toph could feel from the ground that his pulse was getting weaker. They each did not want to believe that this was happening, yet they could see clearly that their dear friend was dying.

Mai clutched Zuko as he leaned on Aang. "No... no... NO!"

Iroh, Hakoda, and the remaining Kyoshi warriors arrived to meet them. Iroh was distraught at the sight of Zuko. Hot tears began to travel down his face.

Then Sauron appeared from behind them, "Even as he draws his last breath, the traitor remains stubborn against death itself." The group fixed their angry eyes on the Dark Lord. "Still, perhaps he can still be of use to me one last time."

He pulled back his large spiked gauntlet and gathered dark energy in his palm. Then he, shot the dark energy from his hand and hit Zuko. Zuko groaned at the hit. Though it was not over, the energy pulled a shadow from his body. The shadow landed at the feet of the Dark Lord. Its shape began to morph into flesh, black hair settled on the top of his head, and a large scar could be seen on his left eye. Aang, Iroh, Katara, and the rest could not believe their eyes. The Dark Zuko's appearance was greatly similar to that of the original, except his eyes were glowing red, his skin was as grey as death, and his teeth were fangs.

"Sauron, what have you done!?" demanded Aang.

"I pulled the darkness that lay deep within your friend's heart and gave it his form," explained Sauron.

Dark Zuko bowed down and exclaimed in a beastly voice, "My Lord, I am your loyal servant, here to serve you for all time."

"Swear it."

The shadow of Zuko grabbed a knife that was on the ground, cut his hand, and clenched it in his fist.

"I will die for the Dark Lord Sauron."

"Very good, now prove your loyalty to me."

The shadow of Zuko rose up and blasted fire toward the group. Iroh deflected the fire blasts. Toph made the earth fall underneath him. The shadow of their friend escaped the ground collapse by propelling himself by fire with his feet and shot a large fire ball. Toph had created an earth wall to shield herself. Though with great speed, Dark Zuko jetted toward the wall and then formed curved flame swords in each hand. He sliced through the earth barrier but Toph made herself sink into the ground and emerge ten feet away from the beast. Then Sokka came from behind the enemy and lunged with the point of his sword. Dark Zuko ducked and brought an uppercut slash with his right handed flame sword along Sokka's face. Sokka screamed at the searing pain as he held his hands over his face. Zuko's evil side took advantage of this and kicked Sokka in the gut, who fell to the black sand.

Sauron's abominable creation smiled cruelly, "That scar is but a taste of the pain I intend to inflict upon you my friend."

As he brought down his flame swords, Katara knocked him aside with a large water whip.

"You're no friend of ours monster!" she shouted furiously.

While Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Mai, Iroh, and Hakoda engaged Dark Zuko and Sauron, the dying Fire Lord was drooped over Aang. Blood was still traveling from his wound and his breathing was faint.

Aang said nervously, "Zuko can you still hear me? Listen we'll heal your wounds, we'll make you..."

"Aang..." Zuko weakly whispered. "...I ...don't have much time left. My eyes are darkening... and ...I'm growing weaker."

"No! You're not gonna die!"

"Listen Aang, I can't speak loud enough for everyone else to hear me. There are... two things... I need to tell you. First... I'm glad to have been your friend despite everything I've done in the past. I've... come to think of you and the others as members of my own family." These words hit Aang's heart very deep. "One last thing I need to let you know." Zuko leaned his head closer in order to send a whisper into Aang's ear. The whispered words took Aang's breath away. Zuko smiled, "Good Luck."

With those words, Zuko released his hold over Aang and collapsed in the dirt. His eyes were closed and crimson blood was stained on his mouth. The young Fire Lord appeared to be in a deep sleep, though he will never awaken from his slumber ever again.

Aang shook with sadness and spilled many tears of pain. Katara and the others soon caught sight of their dead friend. Mai ran tearfully to the side of her beloved. She held Zuko tightly, leaned over, and buried her sobbing face into his back. The sadness soon spread to the rest. Katara fell down to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably as she held her hands over her mouth. Sokka, Toph, Suki, and everyone in the Fire Nation army poured fountains of tears from their eyes.

"ZUKOOOOO!" Screamed Iroh tearfully while he crawled in the black dirt because of burnt legs. He regarded Zuko as a son ever since he had lost his own son in the war of the Nations. To see his beloved nephew dead wounded the old man's heart with the pain of an iron dagger.

Aang rose from his dead friend. He grew silent while tears dripped from his eyes. The distraught Avatar turned to face Sauron. Uncontrollable anger was swelling in his gut. He forgot his sickness for the pain of the loss of his dear friend overcame the feverish Black Breath. His rage made him grind his teeth and shook his body. The only time he had ever felt this anger was when he realized that Fire Nation had killed his people back when he returned to the Southern Air Temple after awakening from the ice. His hatred for the Dark Lord grew over all other feelings. Aang had never killed nor wanted to kill anyone, it was against his nature. But the loss of Zuko and all those who had perished in the battle made him forget his restraint. He now had the urge to kill.

"NOW IT'S YOUR TURN MONSTER!" shouted Aang as his eyes began to glow along with his tattoos. He had subjected himself to the Avatar State.

"The Avatar State is indeed powerful, but not enough to stop ME." Sauron boasted. "It's time to end this futile rebellion!"

He rose up far in the sky in a column of fire. The ground began to shake and a pillar of earth hit him. Then from all the water scattered along the ground, a pillar of water joined the other pillars. From the sky, a tornado of swirling wind and a large beam of red electricity surged toward him. Once the last two had reached the Dark Lord, a massive explosion erupted. The battlefield was covered in clouds of dust that blew everyone to the ground. Sauron was nowhere to be seen but the air grew ever more foul with evil and dread.

"Where did he go?" shivered Katara.

Sauron's booming voice spoke, "Your undoing is at hand boy!"

The dust cleared and everyone saw the Dark Lord Sauron standing as tall as the mountains that surrounded them. With a right leg made out of earth, a left leg made out of water, a left arm made out of wind, a right arm made out of red lightning, and his chest was engulfed with flames, and his black cape seemed to be made out of black, smokey, magic. He was an elemental giant. His head was the only part that remained looking the same, but his elemental body parts were shaped exactly like his armor. He was a terrifying sight to behold. Everyone could not believe their eyes. Never before has there been a being of such monstrous power. The realization of Sauron's superior mastery of the elements to the Avatar destroyed what hope the soldiers of the Nations had.

While Aang was still in the Avatar State he created an air sphere around him and ascended. Then he gathered small beams of water, earth, and fire that revolved around him. He had created an elemental sphere. This was the same move he used to defeat Ozai when the comet had come. It was his most powerful combination of the elements. Though it was but a mere ant in the shadow of the towering elemental giant.

Aang charged at Sauron. Flaming rocks shot from the Dark Lord's eyes. Aang evaded them, then large streaks of lightning shot from Sauron's right arm. Aang dodged the large bolts, managed to grab a smaller streak, and redirected it at Sauron's eyes. No effect took place. Aang kept flying around the titan, avoiding getting blasted by several large balls of fire from his chest. Then Aang combined air and water together and shot it in the center of the fire balls which made them explode. Sauron's wind arm formed a huge tornado and shot it in Aang's direction. Aang mustered all of his air bending power and dispersed it. Suddenly, a wave of fire emerged from Sauron's chest. Aang was blasted into the mountain side. Although the heat from the attack would have incinerated everything it touched, the air sphere protected him.

Aang flew towards Sauron's legs. From the rocks hovering around him, Aang made them turn into small spikes of earth that shot rapidly at Sauron's earth leg. The impact was so great that it made dust and broken rocks fly from the leg. Then, from all parts of the leg, earth spikes the size of Appa shot rapidly. Despite their great size, the earth spikes flew with great speed. Aang evaded the spikes and destroyed those that drew too close. He kept flying in the direction that the right leg was in. Soon he realized that the left leg of water shot hundreds of ice shards. Next, he flew away from both legs with the razor sharp objects still following him. In order to stop the ice shards, he melted them with fire blasts. The rocks were still following him so he led them into a mountain side and made a sharp turn up, which made the rocks crash. As a counterattack, Aang made the ice shards that still came from the left leg, into water and shot it towards Sauron's head. They bounced off the over sized iron helm.

The elemental demon once again released deadly fire from all over his fiery chest. It was too fast and too wide for for Aang to avoid so he became enveloped in it. He felt the intense heat penetrating the sphere, he knew if he lingered he would burn. Recklessly, he charged through the fire towards Sauron's massive body and eventually escaped the flames. Sauron fired red lightning bolts and gusts of wind from his arms. Aang evaded them as he scaled the enormous body of the Dark Lord. Every body part he flew around shot the type of element that made up it's form. Suddenly, from Sauron's red glowing eyes, spouted lava. Aang dodged them as quickly as he could. At last he reached the massive helm of the Dark Lord.

Aang loosed all the elements at the demon's head. There were still no signs of damage. Aang was directly in front of his head, staring at Sauron's red, blazing eyes. Soon he found himself unable to move, the eyes had rendered him paralyzed. In each eye hole, Aang saw a great eye wreathed in flame. Even in his most powerful state, Aang felt a new level of terror take a hold of him. This state of terror proved to be his downfall as a large flaming rock shot from the right eye whole. Aang in his paralysis was unable to evade it and was hit.

The impact from the flaming rock sent Aang down to the ground with such impact that the sphere was broken. Katara, Sokka, and Toph ran to the crash site. They saw Aang's bloodied hand sticking out of a pile of rubble. Toph raised the earth off of him and saw Aang's broken body. He was covered in burns, cuts, and bruises and his arms and legs were not aligned correctly. Katara knelt down pressed her head against his chest, checking for a heartbeat.

"Katara..." Said Sokka in disbelief. "Is he?"

She remained still.

Toph broke the silence, "No! He's alive! I can feel a pulse with my feet but it's very faint."

"Thank goodness!" Sokka blurted.

"Not yet," Added Katara tearfully. "We must escape and treat him immediately. If we don't do it soon he will die. Pick him up carefully, most of his bones have been shattered."

Sokka and Toph cautiously hoisted Aang up by the feet and shoulders and moved away from the crater.

The moral of the men was destroyed. The Avatar, master of all the elements, and savior of the world, had been defeated by the Dark Lord Sauron. Soon their attention was turned towards the shouts of Hokoda.

"The Avatar is our only hope for our world. We must protect him at all cost and give them a chance to escape... even if it means sacrificing our very lives. Stand strong brothers and fight!"

The surviving water benders, earth benders, fire benders, and warriors mustered up what courage they had left and harrowed across the field of battle and charged toward the elemental giant. Much to their displeasure, the darkness from the titan's cape shot from behind him and consumed all who tried to fight. Water benders, Earth benders, Fire benders, and all the remaining soldiers were swallowed into the darkness, with their screams fading away. Once the darkness returned to the Dark Lord's cape, not a single soldier from the Nations was left. There were no corpses and no unmanned weapons, only a vast reach of empty land. Thousands once stood proud and ready to fight but like ants caught on a raging river bank they were swept away from existence.

Meanwhile, Katara, Sokka, and Toph carried Aang to where Suki, Mai, Iroh, and Hokoda were crouched mourning over the corpse of Zuko. Katara applied healing water to Aang's broken body. Appa limped to Aang's side, sniffing him for life.

Iroh broke the silence despite his tears, "Listen... you all must escape from here."

"But Iroh," whimpered Suki. "It's over... we've lost the war."

"You five must take Aang away from here and go into hiding. Despite the overwhelming defeat, the remaining troops were willing to give their lives for the chance to let you escape." He gazed over the quiet battlefield with sad eyes. "Don't let their sacrifice be in for nothing. As long as Aang lives we may yet still have a chance."

"But what about you two?" asked Toph.

Hakoda answered, "We will continue the fight."

"But Dad... they'll kill you." Sokka pointed out.

Iroh's grief broke into his words, "Don't argue about it just go and take him!" He looked down at Zuko. "Be sure that all those who lost their lives today did not die in vain."

It was a hard decision to make but they knew it had to be done. Katara and Sokka hugged their father tearfully. Suki and Toph tried to make Mai rise to her feet, but she would not release her hold on Zuko.

"I won't... leave him!" she sobbed.

"Don't worry Mai," Sokka assured. "We'll also take him and give him a proper funeral."

With that said, Mai let go of the corpse and Sokka, Toph, and Iroh hoisted Zuko up on Appa's torn saddle while Katara and Hakoda carried Aang. Suki assisted an overwhelmed Mai up Appa's back.

Suddenly an arrow zoomed past them. The group turned and saw an army of orcs charging toward them. Appa ascended into the air. He was still very weak from his fight with the Fell beasts despite the healing Katara provided for him. As Appa rose higher,the comrades could see Hokoda and Iroh fighting off an enclosing horde of orcs. Once they had achieved a great distance, the fighting had disappeared from their sight. Katara held onto her brother and they both shed more tears.


	11. Chapter 11: Darkness Envelopes The World

XI. Darkness Envelops The World

From afar, the dark, booming voice of Sauron echoed, "The time has come for the world to bow before the Dark Lord of Mordor."

Without warning, the elemental demon dissolved into dark energy and rose to the volcanic sky. When Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki looked up and their eyes showed them a sight that bestowed more terror in their souls. Saruon's enormous shadow emerged from the clouds. He was a dark shadow as big as Mordor, lightning crowned, and fiery eyes. Then he stretched out his hand from Mordor toward the rest of the world. Everywhere the shadow spread green lands turned to ash, water turned to lava, volcanoes rose from the ground spewing lava, and the sky changed from blue to smoky red. It was a horrible sight. The group of friends watched in horror as their peaceful world that was once their home had now transformed into a world of darkness, filled with the evil of Mordor.

Then Sauron commanded from the sky, "Go forth my armies and destroy all in your path, in the name of your Master!"

The servants of Sauron obeyed and marched out of Mordor roaring in triumph. They had achieved victory, now all that remained was to conquer the remaining villages, towns, and cities left in the world. The Dark Lord would be the new ruler of the world.

While Appa continued to fly, the fiery, piercing eyes of the Dark Shadow released a large fire ball. Appa could not fly any faster and as a result the fireball hit him. The bison roared in agony and Katara and the others desperately clung to Appa's singed fur trying to avoid falling. Unfortunately, Appa could no longer fly and crashed into the labyrinth of the Emyn Muil.

By the time the group had regained consciousness it would have been dawn. Sadly, the darkness that spread from Mordor covered the face of the sun. While Sokka, Toph, and Suki nursed their own wounds, Katara applied what remaining water bending strength she had left to heal Aang. Aang awoke after a couple of hours but he could feel the pain of many broken bones and burns. Also the sickness of the Black Breath still had not left him which made his body temperature very high. His body was mostly covered in strips of gauze and his arms and legs were wrapped in casts. Soon his sense of sight became more clear and he could see Katara leaning beside him.

"Katara," Aang wheezed.

"Aang!" Katara tearfully rejoiced as she gently embraced him.

Sokka, Toph, and Suki joined them after hearing Aang's voice.

"Twinkle Toes you're finally awake!" Toph triumphed.

"Good grief," sighed Suki. "We almost thought you were dead."

Aang gave a smile of relief. To see that his friends had not perished lifted a weight on his heart. Then his memory of the past tragic events came back to him and his smile faded.

"What happened to the battle?" he asked.

Silence soon settled upon his friends and their joy disappeared.

"We lost Aang," Sokka spoke grimly. "Sauron is victorious. We were the only survivors. Everyone else... is dead."

As devastating as the thought of all the faces of all those who had died a meaningless death was, Aang's memory reverted back to the most painful. "Where's Zuko?"

Depression soon settled on the faces of his three comrades. Then Sokka cocked his scared face to the left of where they stood. Aang turned his head and saw Suki comforting a crying Mai. In front of them laid a body that was out of Aang's view.

Despite the intense pain, Aang tried to get up. "Let me see him."

Katara stopped him, "No Aang, stay still you're in no condition to..."

"...Let me see him!" Aang shot back.

Toph and Sokka hoisted him up and carried him to where Mai wept. Aang's assumption was correct once his eyes beheld his dear friend's corpse. Zuko's body was wrapped in tarp save for his head. The blood was washed from his face but his eyes still remained closed and his skin bore the color of a ghost.

Toph whispered into Aang's ear, "Mai hasn't stopped crying ever since it happened, along with the rest of us."

Suki turned from comforting Mai in order to face them. She smiled, "It's wonderful to see you still alive Aang."

Aang responded, "After everything that has happened, I wish I wasn't."

"Aang," Katara spoke.

Aang remained silent.

Suki gestured to a pile of blackened wood, covered in straw, "We were preparing a pyre for Zuko in order to give him a funeral. He deserves that much."

Aang nodded then Sokka and Toph sat him down on the black soil. Mai continued to cry as she covered Zuko's face in the tarp. Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki scooped up Zuko's body in their arms and laid him upon the pyre. Katara helped Aang to his feet and led him closer to Zuko's pyre. Aang harnessed a small flame in his palm and lit the straw. The fire soon spread over the wood and consumed the fallen Fire Lord. The Avatar and his friends remained staring at the fire until it finally had gone down and left nothing but ash. Once the fire had died, the grief stricken friends gathered up the ashes of Zuko and placed them in a small jar from Appa's wrecked saddle. After digging a deep hole, the remains of their dead friend were placed inside. Toph then created an earth sculpture of Zuko on top of the buried ashes. This statue would not only serve as a tombstone for Zuko but as a marker for his resting place.

Once the prayers were given, the group retreated to where Appa laid. The poor bison's white fur coat was completely ruined. The coat was scorched from the fire as well as dyed red from dried up blood. Regardless of his physical state, Appa licked Aang as soon as he caught sight of him. The bison's lick brought small comfort to Aang's heart but it could not lift the sadness. He soon noticed that the beast had giant drops of water leaking from its black eyes. Aang could tell that even Appa shared the pain of their loss.

The wounded Avatar was set up against a rock on a cliff that overlooked the land of darkness.

"It should have been _me_! It's all _my_ fault!"

"Don't say that!"

Aang broke into sobbing, "I wish it was me who died instead of everyone else. I failed to protect them! I was... too weak!"

Toph slapped him angrily. "Get a hold of yourself Twinkle Toes! What's done is done we can't change what happened!"

Mai cocked her head. Her eyes were puffy from the tears. "She's right Aang. As painful as it is we can't change the past! We must concentrate on the future."

Aang focussed his attention on her. "I know Mai, which is why I won't break my promise to Zuko."

Confusion settled upon the group. Sokka was the first to speak, "What promise Aang?"

"In the final moment of his life, Zuko gave me one last request." He turned to Mai. "He told me to protect his child." Mai's teary eyes flew wide open. Unlike the rest of the group, she immediately understood

"'His child'? Wait... what?" asked Sokka.

Katara faced Mai, "Mai... are you?"

Mai gave a weak smile, "Well, we were supposed to wait after the wedding in order to consummate our marriage." She stroked her stomach. "But Zuko and I were too impatient."

Great surprise settled upon Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki.

Sokka blurted out, "You're pregnant?! With Zuko's baby?!"

She nodded.

"Holy Cow!" exclaimed Toph.

Katara and Suki sat close to Mai, giving her hugs of comfort.

Suki said, "You're going to have a baby! Wonderful!"

"Is it?" Mai returned to her state of sadness. "My child will be born into a world of evil and darkness where no joy exists. And..." Her eyes began to spill tears again. "... It will have have no father to look after it."

Aang urged his body to move closer. He took Mai's hand in his wrapped up palms. "Zuko made me promise to protect your child. I swear, as long as I live and upon his grave I will always watch over and protect your child."

"As will I," added Katara as she joined hands.

"And I," spoke Toph.

"Me too," said Suki.

"The same goes for me," Sokka stated.

All hands were joined. This gave Mai great comfort. "Thanks guys."

After the vow had been made, Sokka and Toph left to look for something to eat around the rocky terrain. The only source of food that was available was live animals that roamed the corrupted lands. Being a vegetarian, Aang was very reluctant to eat meat, but since vegetables were scarce he had no choice in the matter. It was necessary for their survival. Water grew to be all but dried up. Occasionally there would be small springs that ran with fresh water.

Katara stayed close to Aang and Appa while Suki remained by Mai's side. Katara applied healing water to Aang's wounds. Aang grunted at the technique.

"Sorry, it will take time before your wounds will completely heal," she assured him.

"Don't worry, there are things far more painful," said Aang.

Katara remained silent. Then Aang began to cough and grow hazy. "Aang, you're still sick from the Witch King's poison."

"I know. It's been very hard to stay awake without zoning out into a dark dream."

Aang's eyes were very heavy and he could feel his body becoming numb. Nevertheless he struggled to keep himself conscious. After one hour, Sokka and Toph returned to the group with empty hands.

"We couldn't find anything to eat. There's nothing around here that's edible," complained Sokka. "We need to get help."

"Where?" asked Aang.

"Ba Sing Se is closest to our location so we can probably find refuge back there."

Katara responded, "Wait a minute Sokka, while we were escaping from Mordor, Sauron dispersed his armies to go on a conquest. Chances are that they have already laid siege to Ba Sing Se."

"Maybe. But the city's walls are strong and will at least hold out for a considerable amount of time. Enough time for us to regroup, heal our battle wounds, and make plans for another strike."

"Another strike?! Are you crazy Sokka?!" exclaimed Toph.

Sokka's face began to grow tense even though it made his scar more painful. "Well, it's better than doing nothing!"

"We've been badly beaten and are most likely going to end up dead if we try something else!"

Anger was heating up between the two. "Well, I don't like the idea of staying here and most likely end up hunted down!"

"Enough!" yelled Aang. "Traveling back to Ba Sing Se is better than staying in this ravine. Besides, we don't have much of a choice. We're all beaten from the battle and need help. Not to mention we're too close to Mordor. It's best we leave."

No one argued. They all silently agreed and gathered on Appa's singed back. Aang could tell that Sokka's urge to strike back came from the pain of the loss of their comrades and from the desperate need to find out if his father was still alive. The group could not have quarrels between one another if they hope to survive. Once everyone took hold of Appa's fur, the wounded sky bison flew into the ashy air.


	12. Chapter 12: Separation

XII. Separation

Hours had passed flying through the black sky. The journey was almost as unbearable as drowning underneath ice. The ash from the newly made volcanoes caused breathing to be difficult for Aang and his friends.

" _Cough_ , _cough_ , _cough_! How much longer before... _cough_ , we reach the city... _cough_." Toph wheezed.

Sokka had the reins, "It's difficult to tell, _cough_... where we're going with the, _cough_... dark sky and the, _cough_... changed landscape."

Aang, Katara, and Suki gazed down upon the land. Suki spoke, "I recognize this area. It's only going to be a couple more minutes until we reach the city." She grew solemn. "I remember back when it was a very green country."

Mai spoke from her depression, "Apparently all things are now destined to turn to ash under the Dark Lord's rule."

Her words were true. No green patch of land or forest could be seen within the desolate, volcanic landscape.

Suddenly Sokka pointed out, "Hey there's smoke up ahead."

"Sokka," Katara answered, "There's smoke all over the place. It's probably an open fissure."

"No, that's smoke from a large fire that's burning Ba Sing Se!"

Everyone crawled closer to Appa's head. In the distance they saw a large gap in the outer wall of Ba Sing Se. Also battle cries and war drums sounded in the distance. Once Appa had reached and landed on the outer wall, the group dismounted and saw their worst fear yet. An army of Mordor had laid siege to the inner wall and was pouring in. Catapults could be seen flinging flaming rocks into the city. Although, they were far away from the siege, fearful screams could be heard from the burning Earth Kingdom city.

"We're too late," Aang despaired.

"See Sokka I told you it was a bad idea to come here! We're not safe anywhere!" said Katara.

Sokka made no reply.

Suki broke in, "We should leave."

Aang exclaimed, "The people don't stand a chance! We must help them!

Before Aang could dash down the hillside Katara grabbed his hand.

"Hold on Aang!" Katara warned. "None of us are in any condition to engage in a battle, especially you."

The young Avatar was still unstable from the Black Breath and his wounds were far from completely healed. "But I can't stand by and watch innocent people get massacred. I have to...!"

He was cut off by Appa's sudden wailing. The sky bison was biting into his side. Aang dashed to his side and found large black arrows stuck in his singed fur.

Then he heard from behind, "Smash them! Bash them! Skin the swine alive! Cut them down to pieces!"

Aang turned and saw a party of orcs enclose on them.

"Ambush!" Shouted Sokka.

As they took fighting stances, the orc's captain commanded them to stop. The captain was large, green skinned and had a chainmail eye patch over his right eye socket. His yellow eye was fixed on Aang and recognized him. Then he growled, "The Avatar scum is still alive! Bleed him to death maggots!"

At his command orcs from all sides were charging to kill him. Aang and Toph used earthbending from the stonewall to to knock most of them over the edge. One orc came from behind Aang and reached back with his axe to hit him. Katara bent water from her pouch into a whip and pulled the orc by the neck and hurled him over the wall. Sokka unsheathed his sword and fought against four orcs. Suki delivered punches and kicks to one large ashy skinned brute. Mai angrily flung daggers from her sleeves into ten orcs. Each one of them felt great rage for the servants of the Dark Lord. Aang blasted five orcs with fire. Then from behind, the orc captain charged wielding a large spiked, two-handed mace. Before he could get him Appa swiped him away with wind from his tail.

"Thanks buddy," said Aang.

Then more black arrows pierced Appa's sides. Next eight orcs encircled him and began to hack and stab his singed hide. Appa roared and hurled himself at the eight orcs. Though the group fought gallantly, orcs still came from both sides of the wall.

All of a sudden, a shrieking cry came from the sky. Aang and his friends gazed up at the black sky in terror. For they knew what made that sound. It was the Nazgul on their Fell Beasts. Appa furiously charged at one of the Fell Beasts. The Fell Beast dodged and bit his back. Then the beast forced him back down to the wall with its claws. Only one of the beasts landed and the black rider proved to be none other than the Witch King. The young Avatar and his comrades' blood ran cold.

"The Master suspected that you all might yet be alive. You can no longer hide from us boy!" Spoke the Witch King. "Now that we've found you it is time for you to submit and come with us."

He unleashed a loud cry that made their eardrums ring with pain and lose concentration. Then the Witch King grabbed Aange by the throat. Once again he was in contact with the disease that radiated from the wraith's body. Aang could no longer force himself to stay awake. His body grew numb, his vision began to grow dark, and lastly he passed out.

"Aang!" Katara shouted as she ran to free him.

The harsh hands of the orcs stopped her. The group soon became overwhelmed by an increasing number of orcs. The Witch King dragged Aang by sinking his sharply armored fingertips into his baldhead.

Once they mounted his Fell Beast, the Witch King commanded the orcs, "Do not kill the Avatar's friends. At least not yet. Subjugate them to the pits once they have been dug. And have them separated."

With those words, the Lord of the Nazgul flew away from the wall with Aang.

"Aaaaaannnngg!" screamed Katara.

The orc that held her grabbed the sides of her skull and forced her to look at his hideous face. "Shut your mouth filthy hag! Or I'll pull out your tongue!"

Katara's teary eye gazed off into the distance. The Witch King was no longer in sight. He had disappeared with Aang. The comrades were led away from each other. Suki and Mai were kept together while Katara, Sokka, and Toph remained with each other. They each struggled to break away from their hold. It resulted with the orcs bashing their brutal fists on their heads rendering them unconscious.

When Katara, Sokka, and Toph woke they were engulfed in darkness. There was no light in the room. Neither of them could see one another. Their bodies ached from their beatings and had a great hunger from a lack of food in a vast amount of time.

Sokka called out, "Katara, are you here?"

"I'm here big brother," answered Katara.

Sokka struggled to his feet, but soon realized that he could not move. His feet were bound to the floor by chains. So he knelt down and felt his way around the dark environment. Toph could sense their vibrations and clasped both of their hands together. Once they had found each other's hand they huddled together.

"Where are we?" asked Katara.

"It's a cave cell below the surface. There is a whole network of tunnels extending throughout the underground. There are many cells that hold dying prisoners." Explained Toph.

"Are Suki and Mai in either of them?" Sokka questioned.

Toph shook her head. "And before you ask Aang and Appa are nowhere either." Though they could not see each other's face they each despaired.

"Toph, can you break us out of here?"

"I tried to bend the earth but each time I try I feel burning pain from the inside. I can still sense vibrations and see with my feet but I can't bend."

Toph's feet were not necessary to hear the noises that sounded throughout the tunnels. All around them they could hear endless screams of agony that echoed in their ears. But aside from the screams this dark environment sent an evil chill down their spines. Where ever they were, they would find no peace.

Suddenly a creaking noise came from in front of them. A door had opened and let a blinding light come in. They shielded their eyes from the light, but then within the light seven menacing shadows stood. They stomped toward them and hoisted them up off the ground. Then another shadow unshackled their feet and once it was done the shadows hurled them to the hard floor.

A harsh voice spoke, "Get up you slugs!"

Katara looked up and after her eyes adjusted she realized the shadows were orcs. She was lifted up off the ground.

"Hands off my sister filth!" Sokka raged as he hurled himself against the orc.

A large orc grabbed his head and shoved his face into the hard stone. Blood trickled down Sokka's scar. Next, he was held up by his armpits. The orc's massive hands squeezed so tight that marks were imprinted. Then another orc who had a metal jaw shoved an armored fist into Sokka's gut. Sokka felt like his innards had been rearranged after the blow.

The orc snarled, "Let that be a taste of the pain that will follow if you resist again." He turned toward Katara and Toph. "The same goes for you two maggots! And don't try to bend. The Mouth of Sauron cast a spell on those cuffs. They prevent you from using that bending of yours by causing a fire to grow within you. Eventually you will burst into flames if you don't stop struggling to bend. And if there is resistance even without the use of bending I'll tear off your hands!"

After he socked Sokka's scarred face, the three of them were dragged out into the dimly lit tunnels. Once they had put a lot of distance between them and their cell they finally came up to the top. Katara and Sokka gazed around them, there were in the middle ring of the earth kingdom city Ba Sing Se. Buildings had been reduced to ash and bodies could be seen littering the streets. Orcs were scattered throughout the city setting up encampments.

"How long were we out?" squeaked Katara.

The orc with the metal jaw sneered, "A whole stinking day but don't worry you'll be here for a long time."

They continued to march onward. Aside from the volcanic air around them it now delt of rotting corpses.

"Where's Appa?" questioned Toph as they marched.

The orc with the metal jaw asked, "Who are you talking about you blind, oversized mole?!"

"Our sky bison." Sokka replied.

"Oh, that beast of yours. He took off after the Avatar filth when the Witch King flew away." His crooked tongue licked his cut upper lip. "Too bad I would have liked to have tasted him."

The ash-skinned brutes cackled at this.

"And what about our friends?!" Sokka demanded.

"They were taken someplace else."

"Where?!"

The orc shoved his fist into Sokka's mouth and knocked him to the ground.

"Hold your tongue or I'll cut it out! I don't feel like answering anymore questions today. So let's move it before I skin you!"


	13. Chapter 13: Life in the Nightmare

XIII. Life in the Nightmare

After walking a couple of miles through the city, they left the battered outer wall and arrived at the orc pits. The pits were dug into the ground; there were armories, metal contraptions, giant fires that made the caverns hotter than the outside, and the surviving humans worked them all as slaves. The jobs that the slaves carried out were making weapons, armor, and helping newborn orcs out of the lower pits. Orc bosons oversaw the work of the human slaves with whips in their hands. Any slave who was slow or collapsed on the ground from exhaustion received as many lashes as the orc deemed.

The three friends were appalled to see the remaining people treated as such. The orcs marched them all they way down the ramp until a crouching, curved spine, orc boson came up to them.

"You, rat! Your job is to forge weapons!" Snarled the boson. Then he turned to Katara and Toph. "You two! Your job is to help our newborns out of the birthing pits! Now move it scum or I'll cleave the flesh from your bones with my whip!"

Sokka was led away from Katara and Toph and did as they were told. Sokka had experience forging a sword, which made the job not so bad. Although, due to a quick work ethic, he would burn his hand while forging the swords and hit his fingers while hammering them. Katara and Toph's job was disgusting. Getting the orcs out of the muddy pits was smelly, gross, and messy because when they came out they would always squirm. Each time either of them stopped to take a break they received lashes. The only food they were given were pieces of bread and meat. The three only ate the bread for they did not know how old the meat was or from what creature it was from. For drink, they were forced to guzzle down red liquid that the orcs drank. Despite the warm and foul taste, it gave them a fiery burst of energy that gave them enough strength to work. Sokka, Katara, and Toph had no choice but to remain as slaves to the enemy since there was no way of escape.

Four days later, while Sokka, Katara, and Toph continued their work they saw two orc bosons pestering a tired, elderly slave. The boson was lashing the poor man's back repeatedly but he still would not rise. Finally the boson stopped.

"Alright, then," spoke the boson. "Are you all used up?"

The man only groaned.

The boson made a sickly smile and shouted, "Boys, this one has outlived his use!"

Two uruk-hai picked the slave up. Then another big uruk drew his large, black blade and approached the worn out slave. The man's eyes widened with fear.

"No, no! Oh, please don't!" begged the slave.

His pleads meant nothing to them. Once the uruk had reached him, he sliced off the slave's head. Everyone, including Sokka looked away. Katara put her hands over her mouth.

The uruk held up the decapitated head for all to see.

"Let that be a reminder to all of you rats," roared the boson. "If any of you have outlived your use then you shall have your heads plucked from your shoulders and serve as decorations."

The uruk dipped the head in a pot of tar and mounted it on a spike. The man's body was dragged away.

"Take that piece of filth to the wargs for breakfast boys! As for the rest of you back to work!"

Everyone hurriedly obeyed the command.

With the passing of five months, everything had gone from bad to worse. Villages, towns, and cities had been raided, ransacked, and destroyed. Both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes were defenseless because the ice and water had transformed into rock and lava. Without water to fight with, the remaining water benders were unable to protect themselves from the forces of Mordor. All invasions that occurred were one sided massacres. The fertile lands of the Fire Nation were given to the Easterlings and Haradrim as their reward for their service. The corsairs were given treasure and Sauron enchanted their ships with a spell that would protect them from the oceans of lava. Earth Kingdom cities such as Omashu and Ba Sing Se were raised to the ground and in their place, black iron fortresses were built to serve as bases in territories that were under Mordor's control. As for the orcs, they were populating the world. The peoples of the Nations were either massacred or enslaved in the orc pits; just like the Avatar's friends. The orcs were ordered to work them throughout their lives until they die. Everywhere, the servants of the Dark Lord continued to grow, along with his darkness that enveloped the world.

After a hard, grueling afternoon of hammering anvils, Sokka lost focus due to exhaustion, and dropped to his knees. An orc boson took notice and added another lash to Sokka's scarred body. Sokka groaned at his pain but forced himself up on his feet to get back to work. Then he caught sight of Katara collapsing in the mud of the birthing pits. She was dragged up by her filthy, short hair by an ash skinned orc, who then gave her another whipping. She screamed along with the cracking of the whip. Sokka desperately wanted to go to her but he could barely manage to take two foot steps without growing delirious.

Then Toph rammed into the orc who was torturing Katara. That just made the overseers angry. Both girls were seized and lined up for more whipping. Katara was tearfully let go after five lashes, but Toph was lashed fifteen more times. She cried and screamed at the bloody stinging. Katara pleaded and begged for mercy for Toph, but the orcs did not care and forced her back to work. When the lashing was finally done, Toph was thrown into the mud with her already scarred back dripping with blood.

Though he was very weak, Sokka swelled with anger on the inside. He knew that they were practically on the verge of death. If they did not escape soon they would die out of starvation and exhaustion. However, there were always eyes watching their every move and they each lacked the strength to make a miraculous escape. Also, even if they managed to get out of the caverns, death would still come to them at the hands of the orcs who lay above. Unlike the past, when they had destiny on their side and managed to overcome great obstacles, Sokka thought that they were now fated to die here.

Suddenly, a bell sounded throughout the caverns. A new procession of slaves was being led down the wooden ramps from the surface. The prisoners were divided, distributed, and given tasks. One new slave came up to Sokka to take over the forge; he was now assigned to bring newly made blades to the weapons rack. Sokka felt very relieved at this turn of events and immediately dropped his tools.

After Sokka had delivered the new blades and was on his way back to pick more, he was suddenly grabbed from behind; his mouth covered, and was dragged behind a wooden structure. He turned around and saw a stranger about his size, masked and garbed in black. Before Sokka could speak, the stranger hushed him. The stranger then picked at his chains and released them.

In a quiet voice the stranger said, "Stay here and put these on." She unraveled a large sack and poured out orc armor. "Don't worry, I'm a friend. Now stay."

As the stranger disappeared into the shadows, Sokka realized that his new ally had a woman's voice. He leaked a few tears at the thought of who it might be. Sokka did as he was told and put on the crude orc armor. It stunk like a sewer but he knew he would have to endure it.

Without warning there was a large crash that sounded from the orc pits. Sokka peaked his head out to see what the commotion was. It appeared that a large cart carrying lumber fell from above the cavern and landed on one of the cranes. The caves were chaotic after that, orc bosons were roaring up a storm commanding the slaves to gather around the wreckage and help clear it. It was then that Sokka saw Toph and Katara being led by the mystery woman to the hiding place. Orc armor had been supplied for them and the mystery woman as well. The two female benders felt great relief once their shackles were taken off but quickly put on the armor.

The mystery woman spoke quietly, "Okay here's the plan: we wait until the cart has been lifted out of the pit then we accompany it out of the encampment into the countryside where there is more lumber to be found." Toph tried to ask a question but she was hushed. "Don't ask any questions or speak unless spoken to by an orc sentry. Just do exactly as I say for now."

After half of an hour had passed, the cart was back on the ramps being pulled by a strange rhino creature that only had one horn sticking out over its eyes. Once the work in the caverns returned to normal, the four of them slipped out and marched alongside the cart. The three orcs who were escorting the wagon did not pay any mind to them. The helmets the four of them wore prevented the orcs from seeing their faces, so for the moment they were safe. After many months of enslavement which seemed like a lifetime, Sokka, Katara, and Toph finally ventured out of the caverns. It felt too good to be true yet they were leaving the misery behind them at last. However, the three of them felt guilty to have to leave all those people to suffer.

The walk out of the orc encampment was easier said than done. Sokka, Katara, and Toph were extremely tired, hungry, and in pain thanks to their lashes. Also, the added weight of the orc armor did not help to ease the walk. Their venture soon took them outside the ruins of Ba Sing Se and out onto the open road. After they had journeyed behind the hills shielding them from any eyes on the walls, the mystery woman took out a curved orc blade and hacked down the orc escorts. Then she cut the harness of the rhino creature, signaled the others to get on its back with her, and stomped away through the volcanic terrain.

Katara's patience was at an end after traveling for a mile and settling in a ravine. "Alright, who are you and where are you taking us?"

The mystery woman removed her helm, took down her cowl. T their great joy she revealed herself to be none other than their dear friend Suki. She was immediately embraced by the tearful comrades in a bone crushing group hug. Sokka began kissing her face like crazy.

After a long hug Sokka asked, "Suki! How did you get here? What happened to you after we were separated?"

She smiled, "It's a long story and we still have a long way to go so I'll tell you while we're riding. Oh, here you may need these to keep up your strength."

She reached into a small satchel on her side and pulled out pieces of bread and pouch of water. Sokka, Katara, and Toph ate the pieces ravenously but were still starving after consuming the pieces. After drinking the cool water, they mounted the great beast and rode onward.

Suki explained as they rode, "After we were separated, me and Mai were dragged all the way back to Omashu."

The three were aghast to the idea that they had completely forgotten about Mai. Katara interrupted, "Mai?! Where is she?!"

"Relax, she's safe just wait quietly until I'm done explaining." Katara calmed down and let her continue. "As I was saying, we were escorted to the burning ruins of Omashu. The forces of Mordor desecrated the city and left it to rot and burn. Within the ravine closest to the city, camps were established to hold prisoners and begin excavating the land in order to make orc pits. After weeks of digging and building, the orc pits were finished and we were put to labor within the camps. Mai soon began to show signs of her pregnancy and was slowing down in her work. I knew we could not stay there because sooner or later the orcs would take notice and kill her.

So, remembering my skills in the art of stealth, I assassinated an orc and took its armor. As I suspected, the orcs were taking notice of Mai's pregnancy and were fully prepared to cut the baby from the wome. I intervened and offered to take her to the warg pit. Thankfully those brutes were so stupid and agreed. The warg pit was at the edge of the camp which enabled me and Mai to slip away and find someplace safe to hide. We settled in a cave far away from the camps and remained there for a long time. I wanted to come and rescue you three as soon as possible but I knew that Mai would not be able to survive easily if enemies came snooping by cave. She is a strong woman but her pregnancy put her in danger. So I had no choice but to remain and keep the both of us safe.

We kept our position mobile by traveling and finding more places to hide. But soon we had to stop because Mai was going into labor."

This caught the group's attention. Toph asked, "Did she have the baby yet?"

Suki smiled, "Yes. A healthy girl who has the same fierce golden eyes as her father."

Sokka, Katara, and Toph were so eager to see this child. The baby of their long deceased friend Zuko who they each swore to protect upon his grave.

Suki continued, "Before the baby came. Mai was still lost in her grief for Zuko. Her child has brought great joy into her life as did mine. It's strange, but that child will be the one source of happiness we have left in this dark age."

"So are we going to see them?" asked Sokka.

"Of course, but we still have a long way to travel so just stay tight until we get there."

After entering a wide valley, Suki drove the groaning beast up a mountain path. The path was narrow and on the side of the mountain. The air became more stale and ashy as they ascended. Katara on the other hand felt like this path was very familiar.

Dark, smoky clouds began to cover the path. Even though she could not see while riding the creature, Toph stayed as still as a rock. Sokka however could not help but think about the hundred-foot drop over the narrow ledge and ended up shaking drastically.

"Hey Suki," he grinned. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

The Head Kyoshi warrior chuckled, "No problem. I've had to come down this path several times. Trust me I know where we're going."

Suddenly the hulking beast stepped on a loose stone and nearly slipped off the ledge. Everyone almost panicked but calmed down once the beast resumed its footing.

Sokka, Katara, and Toph glared at Suki. She raised her eyebrows, "Well, usually I'm not riding a large heavy beast."

"That's reassuring," Toph spoke sarcastically. After that, Sokka and Katara kept their eyes shut.

Before they knew it, the comrades of the Avatar came to a stop. Sokka and Katara opened their eyes and saw a sight that they had not seen for an age.

"No way," said Sokka in awe.

"It was one of the most secure locations I could think of," laughed Suki.

Indeed, Aang's old home was a safe location for them. The Southern Air Temple of the Air Nomads. The structures of the temple were built into the rock of the mountain. Green tile, pointed towers were stationed at all sides of the mountain top surrounding one large tower that had a curved ring leading up to its head. When Sokka and Katara first came to this temple, it was cold and the white towers matched the paleness of the clouds. Now the sky was dark and the clean white cobblestones were black from the volcanic fumes that came from below. Still the temple gave a good nostalgic feeling to Sokka and Katara.

The group left the beast outside a large doorway and followed Suki into the temple. The cries of the wind blew, echoing throughout the empty halls. They entered a large chamber where the monks used to gather back in the years before the War of Nations. That is where they found Mai rocking a small bundle in her arms back and forth.

"Mai!" Katara exclaimed joyfully.

She looked up from the bundle in her arms and sighed, "So you're all back."

Sokka jested, "Well I see you still have your gloomy sense of humor."

Mai smiled, put down the bundle, and rushed forward to embrace them. The group spent a long emotional, tearful group hug. When they parted, crying came from the bundle that Mai had set aside. She quickly scooped the bundle up and began to rock it again.

Katara asked light heartedly, "Is that?"

Mai nodded and walked back over to them. She then unraveled the top part of the bundle to reveal her child's face. The infant had familiar light skin, black scruffy hair, and fierce golden eyes. Sokka, Katara, and Toph smiled at the baby, it seemed to have made them forget about all their troubles. For the first time in ages they felt happy.

"She has _his_ eyes, doesn't she?" asked Mai.

Sokka chuckled, "Sure does."

"What's her name?" questioned Toph.

"Actually I haven't decided yet. I've had her for a month but I can't come up with a name. It's still too soon." She kissed the baby on the forehead as he drifted off into a peaceful sleep. "But look at all of you, you all must be starving."

Sokka frowned, "You have no idea."

Suki cheerfully said, "Well then, let's have a feast."

When Sokka, Katara, and Toph turned around they saw a whole blanket spread out with food. Rice balls, freshly cooked meat, vegetables, and clean water. The three of them dove into the food and ravenously ate to their hearts' content.

As she ate, Toph asked, "How on earth did you get this much food, not to mention all these greens?"

"I've taken the liberty of raiding caravans from the fire nation as well as Corsair supply ships."

"Oh, sweet, sweet nourishing meat. Oh, how I've missed you," Sokka tearfully ranted.

Katara was overwhelmingly thankful for the food. However, her heart still felt sadness for Aang who was the only member of their company that was not present. They were still not completely together, at least not yet.

After they had eaten and drank their fill, Suki provided ointments for Sokka, Katara, and Toph's scarred bodies. Soon the group felt a great sleep was upon them. The dark sky, made it impossible to tell whether or not it was night. Despite this disorientation, Suki and Mai lead them to a room where many beds were prepared. The softness of a mattress was a luxury none of them had had for months; they always had to find sleep on the course ground. Before any of them knew it, sleep settled over their eyes.


	14. Chapter 14: The Determination of Friends

XIV. The Determination of Friends

It was a long sleep, but their dreams were still filled with fragments of the battle long ago. It still haunted them and would not leave until they finally woke. There was no morning sunlight to lift the group's spirits; only darkness remained to greet them. The group ate a hearty breakfast, but there was a grim tone about them. The scars each of them bore were constant reminders to them of the hell they had suffered; the hell that Aang was probably still suffering. Yet, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, and Mai found comfort in caring for Zuko's child. She smiled at each of them and was a pleasurable reminder of their dear friend. However, they were still missing one friend who may yet still be alive.

It is for that very reason that Katara broke the silence, "We have to find Aang."

The group's attention was focused on her. "Katara, believe me. We all feel the same," said Sokka. "But you can pretty much guess where he was taken."

The thought filled their hearts with dread. The memory of Mordor held nothing for them except pain and horror.

"Also we don't even know if Aang is still alive."

Katara banged her fists on the ground, "He's alive! I know he's alive!"

"Well even if he is. Mordor is like on the other side of the world. Without Appa to fly us the journey would take a ridiculously long time. And who knows what we would encounter on the road."

Katara's blood boiled, "Are you saying we should just abandon him?!"

"Nothing of the sort!"

Toph snapped, "Katara, you think you're the only one who feels this way?!"

"All of us miss Aang dearly but we can't be reckless or we may die for nothing," added Suki.

Katara calmed down. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just I can't shake my mind from it. Here we all are while Aang is suffering. He would never abandon us, nor we him."

Mai spoke, "We all feel the same way you do. We don't want to abandon Aang. However we need to be cautious about this issue. Besides." She gazed down at her baby. "We can't afford to lose anyone else."

Her words settled on the group. When they went to fight against the forces of Mordor they had acted recklessly and were overconfident in Aang's abilities. Their overconfidence was punished by an unforgettable amount of loss and grief. Many friends and loved ones perished as a result and it was practically all for nothing. If they planned to walk back into Mordor and enter the belly of the beast then they would have to do it with great caution and stealth.

"Well we still have some orc outfits. So we can probably sneak through their lines," Suki said optimistically.

Mai asked, "And what would my child pass for? Baby orcs don't exist and her crying would give us away. I'm sorry, as much as I want to help you, I can't leave my baby or take him into that accursed land."

"Don't worry Mai, we completely understand," Katara assured. "And it's actually for the better, we will not put Zuko's daughter in danger."

"However, I don't want to be left behind here so I'll accompany you to Mordor but I won't enter the land with my child."

"Fair enough," said Sokka. He stroked his scar that spread down his face and gazed around at the group. "So are we gonna do this or what?"

"You bet!" barked Toph.

Katara, Suki, and Mai nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright. Then let's get a move on."

Determined to make the journey, the group packed up all the food and supplies they could carry. Each would carry packs except for Mai who had her baby put in a basket strapped to her back. Also they equipped themselves for protection against an attack. To Sokka's joy, Mai and Suki had his boomerang and a new sword for him. It was a two-handed, three and half foot steel sword stolen from a weapons caravan. Katara once again carried two pouches of water on her waist. Suki wielded fans and another curved blade suited to her fighting style. Mai would not walk through such a dangerous world with her baby unarmed and concealed a collection of daggers in her sleeves. Toph needed no weapon since her weapon was the ground beneath her feet. Once they felt ready and able, the five of them set out from the halls of the Southern Air Temple.

The Great Beast that had been left outside the temple was nowhere to be seen. The group suspected that it had gone back down the mountain, which meant that they would have to travel on foot. However, to make the descent quicker, Toph made an earth platform from the ledge. She then bent the platform down like an elevator. The rushing wind in their faces and the unstable shaking from the motion, made everyone uneasy.

"Can't you make this less shaky Toph?" Sokka complained.

"This isn't a wall Sokka the mountain has its own figure. Now shut up and let me bend!" Toph exclaimed.

At last they reached the bottom. Sokka felt a little woozy when it stopped. "If we were going down that way I wouldn't have eaten those pieces of meat," he moaned. Regardless of Sokka's unsettled stomach, the group continued to walk through the ravine.

When they reached a road Sokka spoke, "Hey guys, my instincts tell me we should stay off the road and cut across the landscape."

"Why's that?" asked Suki.

"Oh gee, I don't know maybe because as we're walking we may stumble onto an orc pack." No one argued there. "Toph, let us know if you sense any vibrations in the ground other than our own feet."

She nodded.

"But if we stay off the road how will we know where we're going?" Suki questioned.

Sokka smirked, "Simple, we know Mordor is off to the far east. So we'll just keep heading East."

This did not give the group reassurance since they had no idea how the land was organized. Nevertheless, they followed Sokka's advice and stayed off the road.

Katara leaned into Toph's ear, "Make sure you let us know how the land is shaped and which direction we need to go in."

Toph laughed, "Usually a blind girl is the last person to direct the group. Luckily, I'm a blind girl with eyes in her feet."

They pressed onward through the barren countryside. Days of travel led to weeks, and weeks eventually led to a month and a half. So far they had remained cautious and anonymous to any orc encampments that lay before them by not engaging them. They had to be sure to feed Mai's baby and prevent her from crying otherwise unfriendly ears may hear. The group had been successful in calming the child, however the food was running low and their feet felt like they were going to crumble to pieces with each step.

Once they were at the point of exhaustion, the group settled in a ring of rocks. Toph created an earth wall to shield them while they slept. Although there was no way of telling whether or not it was night or day anymore thanks to the spreading darkness of Mordor, the comrades of the Avatar drifted off into a much needed sleep.

Mai soon had to wake up in order to hush her crying baby who had apparently woken everyone else. The infant was rocked back and forth but would not stop crying.

Sokka grumbled, "What is that kid's problem? Why won't she just go to sleep?"

"Sokka," said Katara. "She's only a baby. Crying is only part of the development. It's how we all start out."

"I know that, but she can't be making such a racket all the time. Who knows what's out there?"

The baby was finally hushed after being given a drink. Sokka breathed a sigh of relief but then heard a growl.

"Toph will you do something about that stomach of yours?"

Toph snorted, "That wasn't me."

The growling soon became louder.

Sokka opened his eyes wide. "Then... who is it?"

Toph planted her feet on the ground. "Sokka above you!"

He turned around and saw a large, snarling warg leap down from the top of a boulder. The warg pinned Sokka down to the earth. As its mouth came closer for the bite, Mai hurled a dagger into the side of its skull. The beast collapsed on top of Sokka crushing the wind out of him.

"You've...gotta be... kidding me?" Sokka wheezed.

Suki and Katara helped pull him out from under the warg's body.

Suki pondered, "Where did this come from?"

Suddenly there was a howl in the distance.

Toph planted her feet firmly in the ground, "It was a scout. There's a pack of wargs heading this way!"

They all could hear the distant growls of the pack. Mai held her child close, who had begun to cry again.

"And _who_ was it that said it would be less of a risk avoiding the road?!" complained Toph.

"No problem, no problem," Sokka assured with a weak smile. "Just raise the walls higher Toph and make a roof over our heads. It's just wargs they'll get tired eventually and leave."

Toph sighed but did as Sokka suggested. The walls were raised five feet higher and bent a roof from them. After it closed, the group was left in the dark. They could hear the snarling and clawing of the wargs from outside the walls. The baby continued to wail at its fear that they all shared. The wargs furiously clawed at the walls and circled around it in a frenzy. Suddenly, the crazy roaring and clawing stopped. What followed next was the sound of five other wargs.

Toph whispered, "Those new ones have orcs on their backs."

"Oh great," Sokka squeaked.

One orc that could be heard sneered, "What do we have here?"

"Just some rats playing hide and seek!" snarled a fiercer orc.

"Hehehehehe, then we'll just have to sit here until they come out."

Katara whispered a few words into Toph's ear. In agreement, Toph stomped her feet on the ground and caused the earth hut to fly apart in all directions. Most of the wargs and three of the orcs were crushed, save for three wargs and two orcs, who were stung by the impact. Sokka and Suki quickly whipped out their blades and impaled two of the wargs while Toph buried the last one underneath a boulder. Katara rained ice shards down upon the two orcs.

Mai exhaled as she rocked her crying baby, "That was too close."

"But hey look on the bright side," Sokka grinned.

"What bright side?" asked Katara.

Sokka stared down at the two wargs that he and Suki had killed. He then whipped out a small whale tooth knife that Suki had supplied him with and drooled, "Plenty of meat!"

Sokka dug into the wargs' hides and began skinning. With the exception of Toph, the group did not feel completely confident in the idea of eating warg. However, they were low on food and still had a long way to go. When the skinning was done, Sokka wrapped all the meat up in fur bundles he made from the wargs' hides. They had enough to feed on for their journey. Since everyone was in favor of leaving the area, Sokka gave each of them a bundle of meat to carry on their backs, then they pressed onward.

Three weeks of travel had passed, before they finally arrived at the beginning of the rocky maze of the Emyn Muil, facing the red sky of Mordor in the distance. The thunder of the sky and tremors of Mount Doom brought back memories of pain, tragedy, and death. Regardless, they all had a friend to rescue and continued to move down the hillside.

"Aang," Katara said quietly to herself. "Hang in there. We're coming for you."

Toph managed to serve as navigator through the sharp landscape. After many climbs and hikes through the ravine, the pain of their feet was unbearable causing them to settle down to rest. The warg meat supply had been depleted, leaving them with only four loaves of bread. Their water was even down to a single pouch, except for Katara's bending water. Yet aside from their harsh journey, the comrades of the Avatar could not help but feel a little accomplished for coming this far.


	15. Chapter 15: Memories of Pain

XV. Memories of Pain

Katara soon woke from a short nap and saw that all the others were still deep in their sleep. Except, Mai and her baby were not among them. Katara hurriedly rose from the ground and looked around the campsite for the two of them. As she searched the rocky terrain, Katara heard weeping from behind a corner. She walked past the corner and found Mai kneeling down in the dirt with her baby held close, crying with her head bowed. Katara soon saw what had made her in such an emotional state. The earth statue of Zuko loomed above her gazing down. It was incredible to see that the statue had not decayed or crumbled since they burnt Zuko's body and buried his ashes in that very spot. Toph had made sure that the earth remained strong enough to hold the image of their dear friend for all time.

Katara walked over to Mai and held her close. Mai sobbed, "It seems like a life time has passed. But still a day doesn't go by where I don't miss him."

Tears also began to travel from Katara's eyes. "We all miss him. There have been times when I've gone to sleep dreaming of all of us being together in peace. It breaks my heart every single time to wake up and realize that it was just a dream. I felt this way when I lost my mother for the first time. Now it can be assumed that my father is with her now." She buried her face in Mai's shoulder. "I truly wish none of this ever happened."

They both went on crying for a considerable amount of time. When the dark sky had begun to grow lighter, Katara and Mai rejoined Sokka, Toph, and Suki. They each ate small nibbles of bread for their breakfast since they needed to ration their food.

While they were preparing to move on Mai spoke, "I'd like to remain here with my daughter until you return."

"Are you sure Mai?" asked Sokka.

"We all agreed that it would be a bad idea for me to bring my child with us into Mordor. This location is the most secure place to hide out. Besides..." She gazed back in the direction of Zuko's statue. "... I also have personal reasons to stay here."

Katara placed her hand on her shoulder. "We understand Mai. We'll move on and be back before you know it."

Mai then embraced all of them. "Be safe."

She was given one of the three loaves of bread and half of the drinking water they had. The baby smiled at Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki as they descended down the rocky slope, which gave them reassurance.

Toph guided them through the Emyn Muil for half of an hour. They could tell that they were close to the end because the air began to smell of rot and decay which meant that the Dead Marshes were close by. The air only grew fouler with each new step the group took; much to their displeasure. When they finally reached the point where it was impossible to breathe without smelling the swamp stink, the comrades of the Avatar stood overlooking the Dead Marshes. The large black wall of earth that would eventually lead to Mordor could be seen at the end of many miles of swamp.

"Oh, not this place again," Sokka complained.

Their memories reverted back to the time when they were on their way to join the battle of the Black Gate. The air was as foul as ever, but what really made the group's spines shiver was the spirits that dwell within the waters of the marsh.

"We have no choice, Aang is waiting for us, and the only way to get to him undetected is through the marshes," asserted Katara.

Regardless of the unpleasant feeling and smell the bog gave to them, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki marched onward. They took extra care to remain on the patches of dirt and grass as they walked through the swamp. Toph had to be led by Sokka since her eyes in her feet could barely see thanks to the little solid ground that the marshes had to offer. Firelights were seen still lit throughout the waters. Remembering the warning about the lights that Zuko had given so long ago, Katara instructed all of them to avoid the areas with fires at all costs since they marked where a spirit dwelt.

Sokka sighed, "At times like this I wish I was blind."

Toph snorted, "It's not so easy as you think!"

"Sorry."

By the time they were half way through the Dead Marshes, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki found a large flat of grass and bushes where they could rest. They broke off pieces of bread to feed their hunger, drank a few drops of water, and laid down for a nap, except for Sokka who took the first watch. It was an hour into his watch when Sokka began to grow drowsy.

As he shut his eyes, a voice echoed, "Come."

This brought Sokka wide awake. He sprang up from the grass wielding his steel sword and called out, "Who's there?!"

There was only silence. "Stupid Sokka, just imagining things." He lowered his weapon and began to sit down.

"Come," echoed the voice.

Sokka rose again, brandishing his weapon. Then he saw the shadow of a man in the distance.

"Who's there?!"

The dark man gestured with his hand. "Come, my son."

Sokka's eyes widened at the word _son_. He lowered his blade. "Dad?"

The figure said nothing but continued to extend his hand out. Sokka slowly approached him. His heart was filled with a lot of emotion, the hopeful thought of his father being alive was intoxicating. As he drew closer, Sokka's father Hakoda could be seen smiling at his son. Sokka moved faster bursting into tears of joy.

"Dad!"

Sokka finally reached his father and leaned out to hug him. Shockingly, he went straight through Hokoda and fell off the solid ground into the murky water. The water was deeper than Sokka had suspected. He held his breath and tried to swim back to the surface. However, he somehow could not move in the black water and was as helpless as an infant child who cannot swim.

Then he saw a unspeakable horror in the depths of the swamp. Ghosts cloaked in green, pale light rose from the deep. The spirits reached out to grab him. Sokka desperately tried to swat them away to no avail. It was in this moment of panic that he identified one of the ghosts. Although his deformed face and scars from battle ruined his features, Hokoda of the Water Tribe was still recognizable. His eyes were white as the moon, his mouth was filled with rotting teeth and flesh, his skin was pale, green, and his fingernails had grown eight inches. Sokka's tears mixed with the murky water at the sight. He thrashed in the waters of the dead trying to get away. His breath had finally reached its limit. Sokka passed out as the ghost of his father's pale fingers reached closer.

Suddenly, the water around Sokka began to churn. The current swirled him around in the form of a whirlpool. Then the whirl pool propelled him out of the murky water back onto dry land. Sokka gasped for air once Katara bent the water out of his body.

"Sokka, are you alright?!" Katara asked.

Sokka nodded his head.

Toph ranted, "What was that?! Why on earth did you decide to take a bath in those waters?"

Sokka, almost in tears, grabbed Katara's shoulders. "I... I saw... I saw Dad."

Katara's breath was taken away. She panted, "What?! Where?!"

Sokka pointed his shaking finger towards the murky waters of the Dead Marshes. Suki walked to the water's edge but stayed away by a few feet. She put her hands over her mouth in a gasp. Katara moved closer to see. She grew stone cold at the sight of her father, Hakoda, lying in the murky water. Aside from the pale color of death on his skin, he appeared to be asleep and was a picture of health. Katara broke down into tears. Suki then led her away and joined her with Sokka. Katara tightly embraced her brother as she wept in sorrow. Sokka also in tears, held his sister close. Suki and Toph placed a hand on the weeping siblings' shoulders. The mystery of their father's fate had been cleared. Hokoda was undoubtedly murdered by the servants of Sauron like all the rest of those who fought at the Black Gate and was thrown down to join the spirits of the Dead Marshes. Now both Sokka and Katara's parents were dead.

After an hour had passed, Sokka and Katara managed to stop their sorrowful weeping. Toph and Suki urged them to keep moving away from the accursed swamp. The two siblings were in no argument and followed their suggestion. Sokka and Katara stayed close by each other's side for the remainder of their journey through the marshes. They remained silent in their grief. Toph had finally reached her level of patience with the two siblings and knocked them both to the ground.

"Toph, what are you doing?!" exclaimed Sokka.

Toph grinded her teeth, "Get a grip of yourselves! Your father's dead and you can't change that!"

Sokka angrily rose to his feet, "Easy for you to say! He wasn't your father!"

"No! He wasn't! But he was a friend and I share your grief! We've all lost comrades in these dark times! The pain is sickening! I even believe that my parents are dead as well and I grieve for them! But our grief is not going to help us save Aang!"

Sokka calmed down.

"We're here because we have a friend in need. And a friend who may help us to set things right again. But in order to do that we need to keep focused and stay together as a team." Small tears trickled down from her pale eyes. "We must make sure that all those who died did not die in vain."

Sokka and Suki remained silent. Then Katara rose from her depression. Her eyes were still puffy from the tears.

"You're right Toph." She stated. "This isn't the time for grief. Aang is waiting for us. We must stay strong if we're going to save him."

Sokka clenched his fists together. "Right."

Katara embraced Toph, "Thanks Toph."

Toph grumbled, "Don't mention it."


	16. Chapter 16: Infiltration

XVI. Infiltrating the Heart of Darkness

The group continued to march for a mile and a half up until they were looking directly up the black stonewall that supported Mordor. Toph bent an earth platform from the rock and slowly moved everyone up like an elevator. Before they knew it, the comrades of the Avatar were overseeing the Black Gate once again. The gate was as black and sinister as ever, like the mouth of a great beast. Memories of pain filled Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki's mind. The memory of allies and friends falling down in the black soil stained with their blood and their screams echoing throughout the air. Practically everyone who they had held dear in their hearts had perished within the black land of Mordor. Even though it had seemed like a lifetime had passed, the horror of war still haunted the friends of the Avatar.

Sokka scanned the area that surrounded the Towers of the Teeth. As expected, it was impregnable and well guarded by orc sentries.

"Well, there's no way we can get in without being spotted," asserted Sokka.

Toph snorted, "No problem I got this."

"Toph, your metal bending won't help us get through without alerting the orcs," Katara warned.

Unlike any other earthbender, Toph had long ago invented the ability to bend metal. Metal was merely refined earth, which can be bent like ordinary earth.

"Who said anything about metal bending." She grinned, stomped her feet on the rock, and formed a tunnel leading down into what seemed to be a dark abyss. "I'll dig ourselves a tunnel that will go underneath the gate and out the other side. That way we'll sneak in undetected."

"Great idea Toph!" Sokka complemented. "Alright, since we've got our way in, lets suit up."

They finally unloaded the orc armor they had stolen from their packs.

"Ugh, these still reek of orc," complained Suki as she dressed up.

"We're just going to have to put up with it," said Katara.

After the orc armor was fastened to their bodies, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki leapt down the tunnel. Toph sealed the entrance so that no one would notice it, leaving all of them in complete darkness. Everyone held hands in order to stay together while Toph dug further down the tunnel. The added weight of the crude orc armor made it difficult to walk but the odor of the armor filled the narrow passageway, making the air stale. Once they had walked past a hundred feet, Toph began to stumble.

Katara held her up. "You okay Toph?"

"Sorry, it's just hard to see through the earth properly with all the rumbling from the volcano and the stomping of the orcs."

"Well can you at least tell us where are we now?" asked Sokka.

"We made it past the Black Gate and are underneath an army of orcs."

That did not comfort the group at all. The thought of hundreds of thousands of orcs over their heads made them fear getting caught.

Suki pondered, "What if we get caught once we get out of here?"

"I'll find a remote area where we can slip out unnoticed. Just stay together."

"Still, it'd be much easier to walk without this stinking armor!" Sokka complained. "Why don't we take them off for now until we reach a secure location."

With that being said, they continued their march in the dark. Much time had passed since Toph's confirmation on their location and the group's feet had received many sores. At last Toph ordered them to stop and opened up a hole in the black granite. Though their sight was clearer, there was no light shining down the tunnel. They climbed out and feasted their eyes on the land of Mordor.

The central land of Sauron's world was as black and hostile as his soul. The rocky, black terrain stretched on for countless miles. The plains of Gorogoroth were filled with fire lit encampments that contained innumerable numbers of orcs roaring throughout the land. The Black Gate was beyond their sight. They could see the colossal volcano of Mount Doom rumbling in the distance like a hungry beast. Yet, aside from everything that lay within the land of Mordor, nothing caught their attention more than the fortress of the Dark Lord. Barad-Dur, a large, black, iron plated, palace whose base was carved into the very rock of a hill, and was set above an abyss of lava. Multiple towers of black iron were mounted on the fortress along with countless battlements. The center tower of Barad-Dur rose to the sky where the dark clouds covered its head. Never before had they seen such a fierce and strong looking fortress, even the palaces of the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation were no rivals to its form. It was a home befitting the Dark Lord.

Sokka awed, "Oh boy, that's some fortress. Aang is supposedly inside _that_ thing?"

Katara responded, "Well, it's our best guess."

Sokka hung his head down from his shoulders.

Suki surveyed the land between them and the dark palace. A myriad number of torches wielded by countless orcs spread out far and wide across the Gorogoroth plains. She pointed out, "There are so many of them. Even with our disguises, we'll never get through without being caught."

"We have to try, we'll just have to avoid confronting any of them," explained Katara.

"Easier said than done little sister," added Sokka. "We need to get confirmation on Aang's whereabouts instead of assuming that he's in that monster of a palace. Which means that we have no choice but to confront the orcs."

Toph suggested, "Who says we need to ask them directly. Let's just wade through the crowds and listen. Eavesdrop on their conversations."

Sokka breathed a sigh of relief, "Much better plan. I'm all for Toph's plan of eavesdropping. Still risky but less risky than talking with an orc."

Katara and Suki nodded their heads in agreement and began descending down the stoney hill. The group walked through large crowds of orcs. The black hearted creatures of Sauron ate and drank greedily and were even having little skirmishes between two orcs in dispute. After marching two miles through the battalion, the heavy orc armor they wore was bearing down upon their bodies, which drove them to take a seat on a little hill of rocks right in the middle of an encampment. So far, the orcs had paid them no attention, simply regarding them as orcs. This left their identities safe for now.

The group barely heard any words spoken in the common tongue within the orc rabble. The orcs merely growled at each other in their own black speech. The chances of gaining information on Aang seemed impossible.

Katara leaned over to Sokka, "Got any idea what they're saying?"

Sokka answered, "How should I know? I don't speak orc." He turned to Toph. "So much for the eavesdropping plan."

Toph snorted and slugged him in the gut, causing him to lose his breath. Then they noticed the crowd of orcs getting all riled up. They were cheering and stomping their feet on the ground at something in the direction of Barad-Dur. Curious to see what all the commotion was about, Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki rose from their rock seats and pushed their way through the crowd. Once they had reached the front of the rabble, they saw a sight that made their guts fill with an unbearable angry fire. They could never forget the demon of Zuko that the Dark Lord had created. His fanged mouth, grey flesh, and red glowing eyes desecrated the image that belonged to Zuko. He was as malevolent looking as the last time the group had encountered him. To the group, the creature was a mockery of their dear friend and could not stand the sight of him.

Dark Zuko was astride a black horse down the path cleared for him, dragging a body from behind. The head of the body was hidden in a black sack while the rest of its bare, horribly scarred flesh scraped against the hard earth. Dark Zuko reached a small hill, dismounted from his horse, unfastened the rope, and dragged the body up the hill for all the surrounding eyes to see. He held up the body and removed the sack, revealing its identity. To Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki's fearful guess, it was revealed to be none other than Aang. Beneath their orc helms, Aang's friends were stone faced. It was clear that Aang had undergone unimaginable torture. The structure of his skeleton could be seen wrapped by his thin layer of skin that was covered with countless scars. The color was gone from the young Avatar's skin leaving him pale. The arrow tattoos of the Air Nomads could vaguely be seen thanks to the covering of large and wide lash marks. Aang's eyelids were closed but his mouth gaped open and was missing a couple of teeth. He showed no signs of movement, making him look more dead than alive.

Katara desperately wanted to shout out to Aang, but was stopped by Sokka. She had to force herself not to leak tears or else her disguise could be ruined.

Zuko's inner demon grabbed hold of Aang's scarred, bald head and roared, "Behold, the great and powerful Avatar." The crowds of orcs gave loud hoots. "This is what happens to those who defy the master. They are broken down until they have reached the point of being lesser than a corpse infested by maggots. Now the time has come to send him down into the Abyss."

He tossed Aang to the ground and created a flame sword wielded by both hands. Dark Zuko smiled as he raised his curved fire sword above his head for the young Avatar's decapitation. Before he had a chance to bring it down, Toph kicked the ground and caused an uphill landslide, knocking Dark Zuko into the air. Aang's friends could not restrain themselves any longer. They flung their orc helms at the crowd of raging orcs and charged toward the hill. Toph raised earth walls around the hill, slowing down the orcs.

While the orcs outrageously beat against the walls from the outside, Katara dashed to Aang's side. She held him up facing her. "Aang," she spoke tearfully.

"Don't rejoice yet Katara," warned Sokka. "Toph dig us another tunnel! Quickly!"

Toph cracked her knuckles, "No sweat, one tunnel coming right...ahhh!"

A fireball from above made an impact on the ground where she stood, sending her tumbling in the dirt. Sokka, Suki, and Katara gazed up and saw Dark Zuko standing on top of the wall.

He fiercely laughed, "Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki! Welcome back my friends!"

"Our friend is dead!" Shouted Sokka brandishing his steel sword. "You're nothing more than a shadow and a disgrace to his memory!"

He smiled. "Don't tell me that you're still mad about that scar on your face."

Sokka gritted his teeth as he stroked his seared scar.

"Now you know what it feels like. To be marked for the rest of your life. The mark of pain and suffering."

Toph kicked a rock up from the ground and shot it toward the demon copy of their friend. He dodged the rock by propelling himself with fire from his feet. Then he blasted fire down upon them. Sokka and Suki evaded the blast while Toph shielded herself. Dark Zuko landed in front of Katara who was still holding Aang.

"You came back here facing certain doom and for what? That close to death waste of flesh. He has been broken. His body mutilated and his mind lost in despair." Katara scowled at his grin. "You should have seen how hard he struggled, how loud he screamed at the pain, until at last giving in. That boy is nothing more than an ant ready to be stomped upon."

Katara lost her temper. "Shut up!"

In her fury she bent a wave of water from her pouch. Zuko parried by blowing fire, not even breaking his stance. Then Sokka charged with his sword held high. Dark Zuko evaded the cuts and caught the sword in between his palms.

"There is no place for any of you in the world of the Dark Lord. Therefore, you must be extinguished!"

He opened his mouth. Sokka could see the flame's glow rising from his throat. Suddenly, Suki kicked Dark Zuko in the side of his face, causing him to blow his fire away from Sokka. He angrily broke his hold on Sokka's sword and bent fire at Suki. Suki ducked, dropped to the ground, and made a kick at his feet. Dark Zuko leapt up in the air before her foot could reach him. Toph shifted the earth upward in an attempt to knock him aside. He propelled himself away from her attack, landing on top of the wall. Katara then saw orcs climbing over the wall.

"Slaughter them!" commanded Dark Zuko.

The orcs came from over the walls and charged. Sokka brandished his sword and began cutting away at the brutes. Suki danced about them with punches and kicks. Toph sent a barrage of small boulders against the sickly, green skinned beasts. Katara laid Aang down on the ground while she created a water barrier around them. Whenever an orc came close, a water whip would push him back. Though they all were fighters, the orcs continued to pour from over the wall. Sokka's shoulder then got maced, dislocating it. Sokka screamed at the dislocation. The orc grabbed his scarred face and shoved him down in the dirt. Acting quickly, Toph commanded the earth walls to collapse on the attacking orcs. Then, she dug a deep hole in the ground for them to escape. Suki helped Sokka up while Katara dragged Aang to the hole. Katara jumped down the hole carrying Aang, Sokka and Suki followed next, and Toph leapt in just as the orcs were closing in. Once they were all in, she sealed the hole.


	17. Chapter 17: Frying Pan

XVII. Into the Frying Pan

Apparently Toph made the hole steeper than the last one. The comrades tumbled down the dark shaft until they hit the bottom. After they joined hands and Katara and Suki carried Aang, Toph led the way as she continued to dig a passage that would lead them outside of Mordor. The journey in the dark was more strenuous than the last. Sokka kept clutching his dislocated shoulder and Suki and Katara were sore from their experience, making the task of carrying Aang all the more difficult. There was also the risk of becoming claustrophobic to deal with. Regardless of the hardship of moving in the dark, the group pressed onward.

After marching for an unknown amount of time Sokka finally made a complaint, "Toph, are we even close to getting out?"

The blind earth bender snorted, "No. We still have a long way to go and your groaning about your shoulder is not helping!"

"Well excuse me, miss I know where I'm going. I just would like to actually _see_ where I'm walking and get out of here!"

"Stop it both of you!" snapped Katara. "Arguing is not going to get us out of here any time soon. We've come this far together so lets leave this place as a team."

Suddenly, the tunnel began to shake, causing all of them to lose their footing. Then the ground beneath them gave way. Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki fell with an unconscious Aang down into the dark. As they fell, the air grew hotter and the cavern soon lit up. They landed on a solid patch of earth in an underground sea of lava. The air within the cave was hot and almost unbearable to breathe in.

"What happened?!" pondered Suki.

"Tremors from Mount Doom spread throughout the underground and caused our tunnel to cave in and sent us down to this cavern," explained Toph.

"Were we always right above an underground lake of lava?" questioned Sokka who was rolling around clutching his arm.

Toph nodded.

"Why didn't you say so?!"

"You never asked."

While Sokka grumbled at the situation, Katara propped Aang up. He was still unconscious which for the time being was a good thing. "Toph, is there going to be an eruption?"

Toph stretched her palm out on the volcanic floor. "It's not at the point of eruption, but large tremors should be expected."

"If more follow we might end up being buried alive down here or burn in hot magma. We have to get out as quick as we can."

Sokka grunted, "Well, I think it'd be easier if I didn't have a dislocated shoulder."

Toph cracked her knuckles. "Leave that to me."

She stomped on the ground, forced Sokka to spread out his limbs, and locked them in place with earth cuffs. Sokka's dislocated arm was the only one left free.

"What are you doing Toph?" Sokka nervously asked.

Toph stepped over him, put her foot down on his back, and grabbed his arm. She grinned, "Don't worry I've got this."

With those words, the blind earth bender wrenched Sokka's arm upward, snapping it into place. Sokka's scream from the realignment echoed throughout the cavern. His screaming soon resided and Toph released him.

"Wow Toph," Sokka smiled as he swung his arm around. "I never took you for a physician."

Toph smirked, "Snapping bones back into place isn't really that hard. But personally, I prefer breaking bones." She banged her fists together.

"Well, if we can get out of here there'll be plenty of time for that," said Katara.

Toph then knelt down to feel the earth. "There's more solid ground at the far end of the cavern." She rose, locked her feet in place, pulled her arms up, and made their little island rise higher above the lava. Then she put her arms forward, stretching out a thin bridge. "I'll make a bridge that will extend far enough to the other side, but we have to move fast."

The group followed her instruction. Sokka hung Aang over his shoulders in order to speed up their movement. Whenever they reached the end of the bridge, Toph continued to extend it. Five more stretches were required before they finally reached the far end of the cavern. Then, Toph once again began digging another tunnel for them to travel through. Though the heat within the tunnel was much more concentrated than the lava cavern, causing them to drip with sweat. Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki removed their orc armor so that they could travel lighter. Toph soon began to dig in an upward direction. Their ascent reduced the intensity of the heat easing their burden.

Three languishing hours of walking and digging had transpired when the friends of the Avatar were directly underneath the surface at last.

"Alright, time to get out of here!" Toph excitedly announced.

Sokka smiled, "Finally!"

"Wait Toph," Katara said. "Are you sure that we're out of Mordor?"

"Yes. I made sure to dig a path underneath the mountain that would open outside of Mordor. We're safe now."

As she spoke, Toph shoved her fists into the rock. The earth opened up and let an eerie light pass through. They could finally feel a breeze kissing their sweaty limbs. With Aang on his back, Sokka blindingly dashed out of the tunnel into the open air.

"At last!" He exclaimed. "It's so good to finally be out of there! Now all we have to do is..." Sokka soon froze in place.

Suki walked up to him, "Sokka, what is it?"

Toph and Katara joined them. Sokka's eyes were staring out into the ravine they were in. The girls turned to face his direction and were stone faced at the glowing fortress that lay within the valley. It was roundly shaped, with pointed walls sticking out like the tips of a star. At the center of the city, there rose a lone tower that seemed to be aimed at where the moon shined. There was a faint, ailing, green corpse light emitting from its structure. The group was standing on a stone pathway that led to a bridge, guarded by two screaming demon statues, which met up with a large gate. The air reeked of deadly fumes steaming from the vile water beneath the bridge. The fortress was none other than the tower of sorcery, Minas Morgul.

Katara shivered, "What is this place?"

"I'm not sure. But the feeling of this valley, it feels... somewhat familiar. Like... like death... and despair," Suki noticed.

Suddenly, a loud shrieking cry sounded from the city. The group's spines shivered at the familiar cry.

Katara's eyes widened. "Oh no."

"It's the Nazgul!" Toph shivered. "This must be their lair!"

"Oh that's just great!" Sokka exclaimed. "Way to a go Toph! You managed to get us out of the frying pan but put us in the fire!"

"Hey! My senses were dulled because of the tremors from Mount Doom so I couldn't see very clearly."

Katara shushed the both of them. "Keep your voices down. They might hear us."

They obeyed and Sokka whispered, "Well, as long as we keep quiet. We may be able to get out of here undetected."

The group began to walk as quickly as they could along the stone pathway. As they neared the exit of the ravine, the sound of large wings came from Minas Morgul. They hid behind a rock and saw three Ringwraiths upon their fell beasts rise from the deathly, green, glowing fortress. Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki trembled as the fell beasts flew overhead snarling at the air. Luckily, the black riders had not discovered them and continued to fly out into the dark sky, with their cries echoing throughout the gorge.

Katara breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank goodness."

"But where are they going?" pondered Suki.

"Most likely, our plan of rescuing Aang has been reported to the Sauron and has dispatched the Nazgul to hunt for him," Sokka explained.

"Well, good thing those cloaked idiots didn't stop to think that we'd be right under their noses," boasted Toph.

"Careful Toph," said Katara. "It's too soon to believe we're out of danger yet. Let's just focus on getting out of here."

Once again, Aang's friends rose from their hiding place and walked away from the dead valley of Minas Morgul.

They traveled for hours before Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Suki laid eyes upon the Dead Marshes for the third time. Across the festering marsh were Mai and her child, waiting for their safe return. Before making a descent down the mountain wall, the group settled down to rest their blistered feet. Sokka especially was out of breath since he had to carry Aang on his back. Katara tried to get Aang to drink the few drops of water they had left; unfortunately he was still in a lifeless state. Katara leaked a few tears over Aang's mutilated body.

Suddenly, Sokka saw a huge white shape coming down from the sky towards them. He joyously spoke, "Appa!"

This caught everyone's attention. Sokka's words were true, the sky bison, Appa, descended from the black sky and on his head was Mai with her baby. As soon as the bison landed, Sokka, Toph, and Suki through themselves upon Appa's ragged fury hide. It had been a ridiculously long time since they had last seen Appa, now their team had finally been reunited.

Mai sighed, "It's about time, I've been looking all over the place for you guys."

"Mai," said Suki as she embraced her. "How did you find Appa?"

"There will be time for that later. Right now we need to go. So all aboard."

They heaved Aang onto Appa's bareback. There were giant teeth and claw marks that blemished Appa's white, matted coat. Nevertheless, the bison took off once the group was all aboard.

Appa managed to fly them all the way back to Zuko's grave. There they landed and made camp. The air and the ground were no different from Mordor's, but they were still glad to be away from the heart of Sauron's dark world. Mai then went on to explain how she found Appa. Apparently, when the bison chased after Aang, the fell beasts brutally attacked him and threw him down to the earth. Somehow, after nursing his wounds for an unknown frame of time, Appa continued to pursue his lifelong companion to Mordor. Appa had made it to the Emyn Muil before finally collapsing out of exhaustion and the remaining pain from his wounds. Mai had discovered him in a cave down from Zuko's grave and tried to help heal his injuries. Once Appa had enough strength to fly, Mai decided to look for her friends and help them get Aang to safety.

"Well, thank you Mai," Sokka tiredly exclaimed. "One more step and my feet would have crumbled into dust."

She sighed, "That's what friends are for." She rocked her sleeping baby from side to side.

Zuko's daughter's calm, peaceful face gave them all comfort in their exhaustion and lightened their spirits amidst the darkness that surrounded them.

The group spent the last half of an hour trying to heal Aang's mutilated body. Katara's healing water was effective in patching up recent scratches and bruises; however, the scars from whips could only be reduced to a smaller size and would remain on his body for the rest of Aang's life. Suki attempted to pour water down his throat in order to get him to drink. Still Aang would not wake and the water would just fill up his mouth until it spilled out. Toph kept track of Aang's heartbeat through the vibrations in the ground, it was very faint. The young Avatar had also grown feverish thanks to the sickening Black Breath of the Nazgul. Sokka had to keep Appa in place since the bison was so apprehensive over his friend's condition. Aang's friends stopped treating him after doing everything they could for his recovery.

Katara whispered, "Aang... come back."


	18. Chapter 18: Help From the Past

XVIII. Help From The Past

The sound of birds chirping and running water woke Aang from his slumber. He rose from the soft grass and found himself in a jungle, lit by a dim twilight. Aang knew that once again he was in the spirit world. His body was well dressed in the robes of the Air Nomads without even a scar on his flesh. The air smelled so fresh and clean, it was the first breath of fresh air he had inhaled for a long time. While rolling around on the grass like a newborn pup, Aang felt at peace.

"Ah, you've finally woken from your sleep Aang," spoke an old familiar voice.

Aang turned around and there stood his past Avatar. "Roku!" Aang joyously replied.

Avatar Roku was a tall elderly man with a white beard and long hair. He was dressed in the red robes of the Fire Nation and had the top of his head woven into a short flock of hair. Roku had always been there to advise Aang in making dangerous decisions and never failed to be a good friend. Though they had not spoken to each other for quite some time.

"Asleep?" Aang pondered. "What do you mean asleep?"

Roku smiled, "Well you have been lying here in the jungle for quite sometime. Perhaps the torment you endured in the world of the living may have kept your consciousness from reaching here until now."

Aang sank down to his knees at the reminder of his torment. It was all coming back to him, the world under the rule of the Dark Lord, his friends whom he had been taken from by the Witch King, the darkness of the dungeons of Barad-Dur, his endless torture and screaming. Aang shivered and panted at the memory.

He then looked up at Roku with a widened gaze, "Am I... dead?"

"No," said Roku. "Your body is in the care of your friends."

Aang quickly stood up from the grass. "My friends? Katara? Sokka? Toph? Suki? Mai? Are they alright?!"

"All are fine. They endured many perils in order to rescue you from..."

"...Don't say _his_ name!"

Aang dared not hear or mention the Lord of Mordor's name. The very thought of him made Aang shrink into fear.

"I am sorry Aang."

"Roku, why didn't you tell me about _him_ and everything?"

The old Avatar's stern face was filled with shame. "Because I didn't know that he existed."

"But, this all began with Sozin's conquest. He was driven to make war on the other nations because it was the will of the Dark Lord. Didn't he say anything to you about _him_."

In Roku's lifetime, he and Fire Lord Sozin grew up together as best friends. As the years progressed and Roku rising to become the Avatar, Sozin told him as his friend that he planned to expand the influence of the Fire Nation with the rest of the world. Roku refused his mad idea and ended their friendship.

"When Fire Lord Sozin told me that he wished to expand the Fire Nation's influence to the rest of the world he made no mention of the Enemy. What he told me was probably a ruse in order to hide his true intentions." The old Avatar cast his gaze down to the ground in regret. "When Sozin and I became enemies, I spared his life in the name of our past friendship. However, if I had known what his true ambition was I would have ended his life immediately."

Aang asked, "But _his_ spirit and the spirits of his servants, didn't they come to the Spirit World when _he_ was destroyed thousands of years ago?"

"Since the Dark Lord managed to spare his demise in the moments of his downfall, his spirit continued to roam the world in secret. As for his minions, they were most likely sent to the resting place where only the most evil of spirits go: The Abyss." The air of the Spirit World suddenly grew cold at the mention of the name. "The Abyss is a dark void of nothingness and terror that does not permit spirits such as myself to enter. Since I also had no knowledge of those who dwelt in the Abyss, I could not warn you of any danger."

Aang sighed. "I guess that also means you don't know how I can win against _him_."

"I'm afraid not Aang. As you were informed before, the Dark Lord was the one who began the bending of the elements that eventually led to the formation of the Four Nations. And he has proven that against the Avatar he is the stronger. I won't lie to you Aang, but the power of the Avatar is not nearly enough of a match against his. This Dark Lord truly is all powerful."

Aang frowned and dropped his head. "Then the world is doomed."

"You're willing to give up that easily? That's a little pathetic Aang!" spoke a young familiar voice.

Aang recognized that voice, but he could not believe it. He raised his head and fixed his eyes on one of the many friends he had never thought to see again.

"Zuko?" Aang pondered.

His eyes did not lie. Aang's former firebending teacher and dear friend, Zuko, stood beside Roku. He was completely healthy with no injury from the battle of the Black Gate. Aang could barely believe his eyes.

"Is...is it really you?"

"Of course," Zuko said cheerfully. "Who else could it be? But I'm not the only one."

In the passing of a small breeze, Pakku, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, Bumi, Iroh, and everyone who had fought at the Black Gate and perished surrounded Aang. They were all healthy and looked the same as they did when they were alive. Aang was overwhelmed with emotion and leaked tears, however his glad expression turned sour and looked down at the grass in shame.

"What's wrong Aang?" asked Piandao. "Why can't you look at all of us?"

"I let all of you die," he replied in depression.

Paku spoke, "It's the way of war. People die on the battlefield and there's nothing that can be done about it."

Jeong Jeong sternly added, "We all knew the risks of open battle. But it was our decision. We chose to fight and die if necessary."

Aang in his depression panted, "But I never wanted any of you die, not for me."

Bumi cackled, "Aang we're all friends and that's what friends do when they wish to protect one another."

"Avatar Aang," addressed Zuko. "Lift your head up and face me."

Aang hesitantly lifted his gaze towards his friend.

"No one blames you for anything."

"But Zuko... your..."

"...I know. You haven't even seen my daughter yet. I still hold you to that task I gave you to look after my child. It's only fitting that you see her when you leave."

Aang nodded after a pause. Then he noticed one person missing from the fallen leaders of the Four Nations. "Where's Sokka and Katara's dad, Hakoda?"

A silence settled on the fallen warriors. Finally Iroh admitted, "I'm afraid that he was among the dead whose bodies were thrown into the Dead Marshes. When he and I stayed behind to allow you to escape, my body was hacked to pieces while his was first mutilated and then discarded into the Marsh. I managed to cross over to the Spirit World, but Hokoda... Hokoda like many others is doomed to haunt the Marshes as long as darkness rules the world."

Aang was horrified at this news.

"Don't carry the weight of the dead Aang," advised Paku. "Though it pains me that my son in law can't rest in peace with all of us and that my grand children must wander a world full of darkness and suffering, it gives me enough motivation to convince you to put an end to this evil. If the evil of Sauron is lifted then the spirits of those who have not crossed over shall be free."

"But I don't know how to defeat _him_ ," Aang exclaimed. "I fought with _him_ once and lost." He looked at Roku. "Even Roku admitted that the power of the Avatar isn't enough."

Zuko stepped in, "My great grandfather may be right on that claim. But unlike him, as a kid I was taught about the history of the world when it was known as Middle Earth. Which is why it is best for you to come with me now."

"To where?"

"There is a part of the Spirit World where heroes of the strongest heart have gone. It is the purest of all the lands within the Spirit World."

The crowd of fallen warriors apparently knew of the place that Zuko spoke of but Aang had never heard of it, nor had he ever ventured there. "And what will we do once we arrive?"

"We will seek the guidance of the only spirits of the ones who defeated the Dark Lord thousands of years ago."

Hope filled Aang's heart. "Who?"

"The Fellowship of the Ring."

Zuko led Aang through the thicket of the jungle for miles until at last they stopped at a cliff. At the very edge of the cliff was a ray of light that trailed up into the dim sky. They stepped into the ray and became enveloped in a blinding light. As Aang's eyes adjusted, he heard the sound of waves crashing upon a shore and the squawking of seagulls. There was also a fresh sea breeze that flowed into Aang's nostrils; a scent that he had not smelt in so long. His vision finally grew accustomed to the light and the landscape was the most beautiful beach he had ever seen. The shores were white with clear blue waves crashing upon them, seagulls flew throughout the sky, and there was a bright sun rising over the horizon. This illuminated shore filled Aang with a sense of happiness and calm; like all of his troubles had washed away.

"Magnificent, isn't it Aang?" asked Zuko.

"It sure is," Aang replied.

The next thing they spotted was a dark shape sitting by the water. It appeared to look similar to a kid. Aang was clueless but Zuko's eyes widened as if a miracle had occurred. He strode down the white sand to the mysterious figure, with Aang following behind. As soon as they reached the child, Zuko immediately bowed down in the sand.

"Um excuse me?" said Aang cluelessly.

The child turned around but did not have the face of one. He had a young man's face with blue eyes, black hair, light skin, and surprisingly pointed ears. His clothing was comprised of a brown vest over a white linen shirt, chestnut trousers, and a green cloak. He appeared to be good natured and did not seem shocked to see them at all.

He smiled in light voice, "Hello there."

Zuko spoke to Aang harshly, "Aang! Show some respect!" Aang got down to his knees and bowed his head. "I apologize for my friend's rashness."

"There is nothing to apologize for. Come friends, tell me your names."

"My name is Zuko. This is my friend Aang. It's truly a great honor to meet you in person, Frodo Baggins."

The hobbit rose from his seat upon the sand, revealing his hairy, bare feet. "The honor is mine. It's not often that I get to see new faces. It is strange however, I have never met you two before, yet you know my name."

"Your name is one that history shall remember throughout the ages until the end of time."

"I suppose so, but anyway my friends, come with me, and let me introduce you to my companions. We are having a feast soon and I'm sure they will be happy to receive you as guests."

"Of course! We'd be honored!"

"Then follow me."

Frodo seemed to measure at least three feet when Aang and Zuko rose to stand. Aang noticed that Zuko seemed very excited. He had seen Zuko calm and happy, but never had he been filled with excitement. As strange as Zuko seemed, Aang was still unsettled by Frodo's appearance.

He whispered, "Zuko, I don't understand who is he? And what is he?"

"Aang I told you before to show some respect!" Zuko whispered. "Frodo Baggins is a hobbit, a creature of the days of Middle Earth. He is a member of the Fellowship of the Ring and one of the greatest heroes of all time."

Aang had felt like he had been slapped in the face. He had behaved so rashly when meeting Frodo.

Frodo surprisingly heard them thanks to his hobbit ears and laughed, "Please friends, don't be so humble over what you know about me right now. There will be plenty of time to talk at the feast."

They had crossed over the sandy white beach into a lush green meadow. Frodo then led them downhill where a long pearl, stone table sat with seven other figures. There was a tall man who was muscular, had blue eyes, fair skin, a light beard on his face, and long dark hair. He wore dark green tunic over silver chain mail, silver shoulder pauldrons, jeweled gauntlets, a long cape, large black and silver boots, and on his chest laid a white tree surrounded by stars. At his side was a great sword that was sheathed in a jeweled scabbard. Another had long, straight golden hair, pointed ears, and green eyes. He was clothed in a tunic, boots, and a cape, all of which had the color of a green leaf. On his back laid a quiver, which held many arrows and a long silver bow. One was short, yet muscular, and had a large brown beard. He wore a stone helm, purple leather over golden chainmail, large brown boots, and a green cape. On his belt hung hand axes and on his back was a great double bladed axe. The group also had what appeared to be three more hobbits. Like Frodo, they were shorter than the axe holder, and wore standard clothing along with green cloaks, and bore short blades around their waists, though their hair colors were brown and golden. The last of the seven was an old man dressed in a white cloak. His hair and beard matched his clothing and his eyes had a kindly look in them. He held a white staff in his right hand and on his belt hung a sword. They all soon caught sight of Frodo leading Aang and Zuko to the table.

Frodo announced, "Friends, it appears we have guests today."

They all rose and the old man kindly spoke, "A most pleasant sight indeed. Welcome my lads. I am Gandalf, the White. Head wizard of the Istari."

The man added, "I am Aragorn son of Arathorn. King of Gondor and Arnor."

"I am Legolas, son of Thranduil and elven prince of the woodland realm," said the elf.

"I am Gimli son of Gloin, warrior of the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor," the dwarf proudly stated.

Two of the Hobbits also answered in turn,

"Meriadoc Brandybuck is my name but, I prefer Merry."

"I'm Peregrin Took, but please call me Pippin."

The husky Hobbit was the last to be introduced. "And I'm Samwise Gamgee, but call me Sam."

Together the eight heroes spoke, "We are the Fellowship of the Ring!"

Aang and Zuko dropped down to their knees and bowed in respect to them.

"Great ones," Zuko addressed. "I've only dreamed that I would actually be in your presence. All my life I've been taught about your history and deeds. No words could describe the honor I feel to finally meet you all."

"It is an honor to meet you as well," replied Aragorn. "But tell us what are your names?"

Zuko rose, "I am Zuko, former Fire Lord of the Fire Nation."

Aang joined him, "I'm Aang of the Air Nomads and Avatar of the world."

"Ah yes," said Gandalf. "We have heard of you two."

This took them by surprise. "You... you have?" asked Aang.

Legolas smiled, "We have eyes and ears in the lower realm of the Spirit World. The spirits speak very highly of you two. It's our way of staying informed of what occurs in the world of the living."

Zuko bowed his head, "We are pleased to be known to such great heroes."

Gimli laughed, "Come now lad. There's no need to be so humble."

"Especially on an empty stomach," added Pippin.

"Pippin!" said Merry.

"Well, I suppose I'll agree with Pippin on that," Aragorn laughed. He sat down, clapped his hands together, and without warning, large dishes of appetizing food appeared on the table. "Come my friends. Sit, feast with us, and let us get better acquainted with one another."

"Thank you King Aragorn," said Aang.

Aang and Zuko joined the eight companions in a hearty meal. Luckily for Aang, they had vegetarian food since Legolas did not eat meat. As they ate, musicians came into the area and played soft and calming music. A great hunger overtook Aang, which drove him to forget his table manners.

"Aang," Zuko strictly said. "Have you forgotten your manners? You feast in the presence of the greatest heroes in history."

Aang broke away from his salad, "I'm sorry Zuko, I just got so hungry all of a sudden. It feels like I haven't eaten in ages."

Gandalf spoke, "You are eating for your body in the world of the living as well. It is only natural that you feel the urge to eat so heavily. Besides your manners are only a step down from our own dear Gimli."

The dwarf had just finished draining a large pint of ale and let out a large burp. "Don't worry about manners lad. Eat to your heart's content!"

Laughter spread around the table.

For the past half hour, Aang and Zuko happily feasted and rejoiced with the Fellowship of the Ring.

"Ah, that was the best meal I've had in ages!" proudly stated Aang.

"Glad to hear it," said Sam. "The food we receive here is of the greatest quality, which includes the best salt from the Shire."

With the meal finished, Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin took pipes out from under their clothing and began to smoke some Old Tobey. Rings of smoke were blown from their mouths.

This feast was the most enjoyable moment Aang had in ages, but he knew that he would have to get to the heart of the matter. "Listen, I need to ask all of you..."

"...We know," broke in Gandalf. "We know why you have come to us."

This caught Aang and Zuko by surprise.  
"You wish for us to help you defeat Sauron."

A dark, cold wind swept over them, the heart warming sensation that the region had provided was rendered with fear at the very mention of the Dark Lord's name. The mood of the Fellowship of the Ring grew solemn with the reminder of the great evil that they had faced long ago.

"You... you know?" pondered Aang. "How?"

Legolas explained, "Like I said, we have eyes and ears amongst the spirits of the lower regions. Including those who have recently passed from the world of the living."

Aragorn added, "We know of Sauron's return and what he has done to the world."

Aang hung his head over in regret.

"Our hearts bleed for your troubles my friend," spoke Frodo.

"These are dark times indeed." Gandalf solemnly said. "After centuries of a hard won peace, the cunningness of the Dark Lord endured and triumphed."

"Then you must know why I came here for your help. I met him in Mordor and fought him, with no victory." Aang explained. "Zuko told me that you would know how to defeat him, since you are the ones who stopped him before." Aang bowed down his head. "Please, I beg you to help us."

"And how can we help you?" asked Merry.

"Tell us if he has a weakness."

Legolas said, "In close combat, the Dark Lord can't be stopped."

Aang looked down in despair.

"Don't fret laddie." Gimli replied. "No warrior is without a weakness and he does have one."

Aang looked back up and asked impatiently, "What is it?!"

"The One Ring." Frodo answered. "He and his ring are one. It is how we defeated him when we were alive. By destroying his ring both he and everything he created will be destroyed!"

Hope and excitement overtook Aang and Zuko. They remembered how the One Ring was the key to Sauron's return. It would only make sense that it was also the key to his downfall.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Aang exclaimed with tears of happiness.

Right when he and Zuko rose from their seats to go Aragorn spoke, "Wait."

Aang and Zuko stopped in their tracks. "Yes your highness?" asked Zuko.

"Aang, though you may not feel it now. The Black Breath of the Nazgul still seeps through your body. If you return to the world of the living, your body will soon give in to the sickness. Since you're determined to face Sauron and his forces again, you must be healed."

"Healed?" asked Aang. "How?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Zuko. "When the black breath blows and death's shadow grows and all lights pass, come athelas! Come athelas! Life to the dying. In the King's hand lying!"

Aragorn smiled, "Well, I'm pleased to see one who is very passionate with the teachings of the Numenor."

"Zuko, what are you talking about?" asked Aang.

Zuko grabbed Aang by the shoulder. "Aang, it's a prophecy that was spoken in the days of Middle Earth whenever someone was infected by the Black Breath. It meant that only the King could provide healing hands. Aang, King Aragorn is the only King that can heal the sickness of the Nazgul."

Aang's eyes widened with hope. Aragorn rose from his seat. "Come my friend let us cleanse you of this pestilence."

Aang followed Aragorn to meadow teeming with strange white flowers that gave off a fresh scent.

Aragorn picked up a handful of flowers. "This here is the Athelas plant. In the elder days, these were brought over from the Undying Lands that lay to the west of Middle Earth. It was grown throughout the lands of my Kingdom, however it was commonly referred to as weed named Kingsfoil and its healing properties were unknown. Until I came into the throne and showed its true potential."

"And this can heal me?" questioned Aang.

"Absolutely."

Aragorn and Aang traveled back to the others. The King of Gondor crushed the flowers into boiling water and made tea. Aang was handed the cup and drank the tea. A curious sensation overtook Aang, he felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Once you return to your body, the magic of the Athelas will expel the illness."

Aang bowed his head, "Thank you King Aragorn."

Gandalf rose from his seat. "Now my lad, there is more to give you before you leave. First you will need these." From out of his white robes, Gandalf pulled out six purple glass bottles, engraved with shooting stars. "Take these to your surviving friends. Once this ichor is drunk all of the strength that they lost will be restored."

Aang graciously accepted them.

"One last thing, you'll need help in order to face the Dark Lord. So we shall come to your aid and put an end to the evil of Sauron once and for all!"

Aang was overjoyed to hear this.

"But all of you are spirits how are you going to come to my aid?" Aang asked.

"I shall teach you how to speak in the tongue of the Valar." Gandalf spoke. "Once you have mastered the words you may summon us back to fight!"

A half hour later Aang had memorized the ancient words of the Valar, that could summon spirits to fight.

As Aang said his goodbyes, Aang spoke, "Fellowship of the Ring. I'm eternally grateful for the help you have given me. I promise that I will set things right."

Gimli laughed, "Be sure to summon us soon laddie. I'm very anxious to swing my axe after twenty thousand years!"

Aang smiled and turned to Zuko, "Zuko, my friend, it has been such a joy to see you again. I will keep my promise. Your child will be safe."

"I know," said Zuko. "I believe that you will triumph. Now get a move on."

Suddenly, everything and everyone vanished around Aang.


	19. Chapter 19: Their Resolve

XIX. Their Resolve

As Aang slowly opened his eyes, he could see the faces of his friends looming over him.

"Hey guys," smiled Aang.

"Aang!" Katara spoke with tears of joy.

She threw her arms around him, hugging him very tight. Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai soon joined them in a group hug. Appa also licked them all with his large tongue. Now, their group is complete.

Upon releasing him, Katara said, "I'm so glad to see that you're alright Aang."

"I'll say," added Toph. "You were more dead than alive when we found you Twinkle toes."

"Thank you for rescuing me guys," Aang smiled.

"Hey, that's what friends are for," laughed Sokka.

Aang was glad to have such honorable and devoted friends. "Well anyway guys, I've got so much to tell you."

Mai sighed, "Since we're not going anywhere anytime soon, we've got time to kill."

So Aang explained to them what had happened in the Spirit World. By the time he finished, they were all amazed.

"You," Mai puzzled. "You saw... Zuko?"

"I did Mai. He's the same as we all remember. And he sends his love."

Tears spilled from Mai's eyes. Then the sound of her daughter crying took her attention. She dashed over to her, scooped her up in her arms, and brought her to Aang. Aang looked down at the infant. The child soon stopped crying as she gazed up at Aang and smiled. Her innocent face and smile brought great happiness to Aang.

Aang stroked the baby's small head. "She's strong like her father."

Mai nodded.

"So Aang," broke in Sokka. "You met with the people who defeated Sauron thousands of years ago?!"

"Yes. They told me how we can beat him."

"Wonderful!" cheered Suki.

"But it's not going to be easy."

"It's never easy," snorted Toph.

"They told me to go back to Mordor and face Sauron again."

Silence overtook the rest of them.

"That's crazy Aang!" Sokka blurted out. "We barely got out of there with our lives and now you want us to go back?!"

"Besides we're not physically able for another fight. Aang what about the Black Breath?" warned Katara.

"I'm fine Katara. King Aragorn healed me." He took Katara's hand and made her touch his skin. "See? No fever."

"Incredible."

"Oh, I almost forgot." He reached down beside him and held up the purple glass bottles.

"Where did those come from?" asked Sokka in bewilderment.

"The great wizard Gandalf the White gave me these for you to drink." He handed each of them a bottle. "Go ahead, drink."

Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, and Mai did as they were told and drank down the potion with great thirst. Aang also poured another into Appa's mouth for him as well. Once the potions were all drained, a change consumed the Avatar's friends. Many of the wounds and scars they had received began to fade away. They seemed to look healthier and stronger than before.

Toph banged her fists together. "Oh yeah, that's what I needed!"

"This is amazing! I feel like a new man!" exclaimed Sokka, stretching his arms above his head.

"My body is trembling with energy!" said Suki joyously.

Appa hopped up and down all over the place happily. His dried wounds and damaged fur disappeared and was given a new white coat.

Katara looked at Aang excitedly, "Aang, what is this stuff?"

"I don't know but it sure helped out didn't it?"

Sokka punched his fists at the air. "I'll say, I'm ready for round two. Bring it on!"

"But Aang," said Mai. "We're still out-numbered and outmatched. What makes you think we'll win this time?"

Aang stood his ground. "We can't stay here in hiding forever. As long as I still breathe, I will fight for the balance of this world and all its people. Besides, I have a plan that will give us the advantage. But you all must trust me on this one. Will you stand with me again and put an end to Sauron's dark reign?!"

The group cheered. Katara spoke, "We will follow you anywhere you go. Even if it means death."

"Right then." Aang turned to Mai. "Mai, you will stay here and look after your daughter."

"No Aang!" She surprisingly replied. "I'm not going to be left behind again. I'm going with you."

This caught the group of friends by surprise. "But Mai," said Suki. "What about your daughter?"

Suddenly, a familiar animal noise came from overhead. Aang looked up and saw a white furred flying lemur land on his head.

"Momo!" smiled Aang happily.

The group had completely forgotten about Momo ever since he left them to roam the world. The white lemure had grown but still retained the healthy features of a lemur bat. White furred, bat winged, large soft bat ears, a dark round face, and green eyes. The group was overjoyed to see their old lemur pet again. Momo shared their feelings as he excitedly crawled around Aang's body.

"Talk about strange timing," pointed out Sokka. "I would have thought Momo to have been dead after everything that had happened."

Mai sighed with a smile, "Well I suppose I'll entrust our lemur friend with looking after my daughter."

Momo may have been a simple-minded animal, but like Appa he always kept a watchful eye over those he loves.

Aang picked him up in his hands. "Momo, we need you to stay here and look after Zuko's daughter."

The lemur bat pounced over to Mai and began to rub its furry head against Zuko's daughter. The child laughed at the lemur bat and embraced it. It was risky, but Mai was confident that Momo would look after her child. She brought them over to a small cave, kissed her baby's forehead, and placed her inside. Momo lay down beside her protectively.

"Be safe," Mai spoke.

"Alright then," announced Sokka. "Let's get this done!"

Sokka strung his sword to his back, Katara attached her water pouches to her waists, Suki equipped herself with her curved sword and fans, and Mai gathered her daggers. With courage flaring in their hearts, Aang and his friends mounted on Appa and took off for the final battle.


	20. Chapter 20: Fighting Back

XX. Fighting Back

After several minutes of flying through volcanic air, the young Avatar and his friends found themselves looming over the land of Mordor. The accursed land had not changed since their last visit. Orcs, men, and beasts roamed the black land and the dark tower of Barad-Dur was looking as sinister as ever. Once their enemies had caught sight of them, flaming arrows and rocks were fired. Appa flew right and left dodging as best as he could. Then he rammed into a large rock formation and caused a rockslide. The rockslide destroyed several catapults and entombed the engineers.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai dismounted onto the rock pile. From all sides of their position orcs came, wielding their weapons high and roaring. Aang and Toph joined their earthbending and made the hill rise higher from the ground, and made sure to include slanted sides. The Avatar and his friends had the advantage of higher ground, which would allow them to drive the beasts back down. Each of them took positions back to back. Aang took the front position, Katara and Toph stood on the right, Sokka and Suki held the left, Mai took the position to the back of Aang, and Appa remained in the center.

As the orcs climbed up the pile, Aang mustered all of the air he could bend around him and released a tornado. The tornado traveled down the pile, sucked up the helpless orcs, and blew them far across the field.

Katara and Toph combined their bending in order to hold the right side against the ash-skinned savages. First Toph stomped her feet and caused the hillside to grow ledges, knocking the orcs off. Those who were still trying to climb up were impaled by Katara's ice shards. Then, with the movement of her hands, Katara turned the shards to water and pulled them back to her, creating a wave. As more orcs came, baring their sharp, crooked teeth, she let go of the small wave and drove them back away from the hill. From afar, orc archers shot arrows towards them, but Aang and Toph quickly raised earth walls around them, blocking the assault. Next, they commanded the earth walls to fall on more attacking orcs, crushing them. Once the walls were down, Mai hurled her small daggers at the archers, ending the arrow barrage.

While the benders kept the attackers at bay, Sokka and Suki eagerly waited for enemies to get close enough for close range combat. Then trolls came stomping towards them. One picked up a great boulder in its massive hand and hurled it at the rock pile. Toph caught the rock and threw it back into the troll's armored head. Soon, more trolls began to come and began to bombard the group's hill. Toph and Aang had to divert their attention to throwing back the boulders, which enabled the orcs to climb further up. Sokka and Suki dashed to the attackers and engaged them. Sokka swung his sword and clashed with the ash skinned beasts and Suki danced about them with punches and kicks. She would also catch the tips of spears with her fans, pull them out of the orcs' hands, and impale them. Once large, Uruk-hai made it past them and charged at Katara. Appa caught the brute's head in his mouth and threw him away for a mile.

Aang and Toph soon lost their focus on guarding against the incoming boulders because of incoming orcs. This enabled the trolls to bombard the rock pile. The pile shattered and Aang and his friends were split up. A large armored Troll came for a fumbling Suki trying to regain her footing. As the beast raised its large foot, Appa rammed into the troll and forced him into a lake of lava. Then two trolls body slammed Appa from both sides and bashed him with their clubs. The sky bison was hammered to the ground by the trolls, roaring with pain. As the trolls raised their massive clubs for a final blow, Aang shot fire at their eyes and blinded the brutes. Both trolls roared in agony, giving Appa enough time to muster his strength to rise up and charge them into the fiery lake.

They all fought bravely and defeated about a hundred enemies, but Aang and his comrades began to grow wary and received cuts, scratches, and bruises.

Without warning, from the dark tower of Barad-Dur, a large fireball plummeted into the earth blasting smoke throughout the area and disorienting them all. Then from out of the fire came the Dark Lord Sauron, along with the Witch King and his Nazgul, the Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, Ozai, and Dark Zuko. The ferocious servants of Sauron ceased to attack, backed away from Aang and his friends, and bent their knees to their master. Terror took a hold of the young Avatar and his comrades. The Dark Lord's presence made their hearts sink and the once proud feeling of courage wither away. Nonetheless, each one of them still held great anger for the pain Sauron had inflicted upon them and their home.

"So," the Lord of Mordor darkly addressed. "The young Avatar and his petty rats have come to accept their death. Just as I had foreseen."

"Your rule ends now Sauron!" declared Aang.

The air began to churn with burning hate and rage, causing the young fighters to tremble. "It is a futile attempt, the world is forever mine. All that remains for YOU... is death."

The dark spawn of Zuko stepped forward, upon seeing Mai. He gritted his teeth in a sinister smile. "Well, I see you have brought my bride to be."

"Shut up!" yelled Mai, throwing a dagger aimed at his skull.

He cocked his head and avoided the blade. "Is that any way to greet me after all this time my love?"

Mai's eyes flared with anger. "It was Zuko whom I loved. You are nothing more than a filthy monster born in darkness." She gripped her daggers. "I'll enjoy killing you."

Zuko's dark side laughed.

Ozai then added, "Well he may be quite the beast. But he is a far better son than that miserable traitor."

Dark Zuko turned to Aang. "I'll ask you again my friend. Why do you continue this pointless resistance? Hasn't your failure proven to you that you do not have the strength for victory?! You would do better to join the Master and we can once again stand as brothers in arms!"

"I've seen my brother in arms and you are not him. I made a promise to that same friend that I wouldn't give up. And... I will protect his child. I intend to keep that promise until every breath in my body has left me!"

The red eyes of Dark Zuko flared with anger. He turned to his master and bowed down.

"Master, let me prove my loyalty again by ridding you of these annoying pests."

"So be it. But this time, I shall awaken the beast I have nurtured in within you!"

These words caught the shadow of Zuko in a state of confusion. He looked up with surprise, "I... I don't understand Master. What do you...?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sauron grabbed his head in his spiked gauntlet and channelled dark energy into his body. Once he released him, Dark Zuko's body began to catch fire. He screamed and raved in unbelievable pain, burning from the inside out. His pale flesh melted away and left a new black scaled skin. Wings began sprouting from his back, his feet turned to hooves, his teeth grew into large black fangs, horns popped out from both sides of his head, and a tail came out from behind. As his screams of pain continued, his body burst into a great fire, and out of the large fire rose a shadow wreathed in flame. A Balrog had come.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai were terrified beyond belief at the sight of this fiery demon. Even Appa expressed his fear through backing away. The evil manifestation of their friend had been given a form more suited to its personality. The Flame of Udun glared at them with its small white fiery eyes, filling their hearts with dread.

"Th..that's... new," shivered Sokka.

"What... what is that thing?!" Katara begged. "What have you done!?"

"Allow me to speak on my master's behalf." The Mouth of Sauron answered. "When he created that shadow creature of the traitor Zuko, he combined it with two magical stones. No one could see these stones because they were not stones at all, but crushed shards that only the Master could see. The shards lay deep within the body of the Master's creation completely intact. Through many of Mordor's victories, that spawn of darkness slaughtered many, just as the Master intended. The shards required blood in order for the magic to activate and once enough blood was paid the shards gathered up its magic and would wait for the Master's touch. The shadow creature served only as a protector and to gather up the payment that was needed to bring a Balrog into this world. Now, that the Master has awakened the shards' power and the Balrog has been brought to life! And it will destroy all who defy him!"

The Balrog ignited its entire body in fire and unleashed a terrible roar that echoed throughout Mordor. Its massive feet made the ground shake as if each step caused a small volcanic burst. In his right claw a large sword made completely out of fire took shape. Aang and his friends began to back away slowly.

Toph broke their silence by saying, "You know, I may be able to see with my feet but I can't see facial features. Which is why given that there's a horrible monster in front of us, I'll say at times like this I'm glad I'm blind."

Like a mad beast stalking its prey, the Balrog charged, wielding its fiery sword. Aang and his friends dodged its feet. The demon then swung its sword attempting to slash them. Aang and Toph earth bent everyone into the ground and popped them out behind the Balrog, avoiding the slash. With the demon's back turned Mai hurled daggers into its black, charred hide. After piercing the black scales, the daggers melted away. The Balrog turned its terrifying head around to face them, bellowing its cry.

"I don't think normal weapons are going to work on this one," pointed out Suki.

"Then let's try giving it a drink!" suggested Katara.

Katara bent a large concentration of water and hurled it at the Balrog. But the heat that covered the beast's body was too much for the water, which caused it to evaporate the moment it touched its fiery hide.

"Not going to work either Sis," said Sokka. The Balrog came stomping towards them again. "Split up!"

The group spread out in all directions. Though its prey was split up, the Balrog was focused on Aang. Aang commanded a great column of earth to shoot out of a hillside. The Balrog sliced it with its sword causing the column to explode. Next, as it raised its sword over its demonic head, the fiery sword transformed into a whip and was cracked on the ground where he stood. Aang barely managed to dodge as the ground shattered to pieces. The Balrog continued to whip at Aang wherever he landed.

Toph then bent an upward landslide at the demon. The Flame of Udun took notice, reached upward with its right claw, and smashed it into the earth. Fire erupted upon impact, destroying Toph's landslide. However, Aang was able to hide thanks to Toph. Before the demon realized it, all of the young fighters were in hiding. Frustrated, the Balrog raised its head, opened its large, fiery jaw, and unleashed a great yellow flame. The deadly yellow breath spread far and wide across the battlefield, engulfing everything in its intense heat. Since the heat was scalding, the boulder that Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, and Mai hid behind blew apart. The five of them were blasted out into the open with a few burns. Seeing its prey again, the Balrog blew another deadly fire breath. Aang managed to get to them in time and deflected the intense flame. The demon's breath was lengthy causing Aang to struggle to concentrate. The ground where they stood began to burn their feet and the air around them was scalding hot. If Aang was to give in to his pain they would all be incinerated in an instant.

As Aang was reaching his limit, Appa charged into the Balrog's head, shoving it into the ground and putting an end to the fire. The fur on Appa's head began to catch on fire because of having physical contact with the Balrog's flames. While he began whaling, the fire demon elbowed Appa hard, sending him into a hillside. The Balrog rose to its feet and charged toward the sky bison in great fury. Aang leaped high in the air and brought his staff down on the beast's head. It only made the Flame of Udun's rage grow. Before Aang could descend to the ground the Balrog scooped him up in its black claws. The pain of the heat from the demon's claw made Aang believe that his flesh was melting. As the heat grew worse and the grip became tighter, Aang was raised to the great mouth that burned like a furnace.

"Aang!" yelled Katara she and Toph threw ice daggers and rocks into the mouth.

The Balrog roared loud because of the pain in its throat. That gave Appa enough time to ram into its stomach, forcing the beast to release Aang. Aang landed on Appa's back and Appa flew away from the shadow engulfed in flame. Then without warning the strands of the fire whip cracked on Appa's hide, sending him hard to the ground. Aang got thrown off and landed in a ditch. Appa's back was covered in yellow flames, making a cry of agony that spread far and wide. The Balrog stood, looming over Appa and lifted the bison in both of its black claws, digging into his flesh. He raised Appa to its head and jammed its black fangs deep into Appa's hide.

"Appaaaaaa!" screamed Aang as Katara helped him out of the ditch.

Appa bellowed as the black fangs sunk deeper. The fire from the beast's mouth engulfed the sky bison. Toph hurled boulders at Balrog's face, making the demon release his bite on Appa loose and throw him away. The burning bison crashed to the ground, forming a creator. Aang and his comrades ran as fast as their feet could carry them toward Appa. Katara bent water to douse the flames. When the flames were gone, most of the white fur had been singed off, large black teeth marks were embedded in his hide, and Appa's eyes had the look of death in them. Tears spilled from everyone's eyes as they gazed at their flying bison.

"Appa wake up! Apppaaa!" Aang screamed, tearfully as he clutched his animal guide's burned flesh.

Thankfully the sky bison made a low grumble, which was more than enough to give Aang hope. Katara immediately applied healing water to the teeth marks.

Aang put his hand on Appa's head. "You've done enough buddy, rest now." He turned to the Balrog. "I'll finish this!"

In his anger, Aang entered into the Avatar State. With his tattoos and eyes glowing, he commanded four large pillars of earth to smash the Balrog. The Balrog sliced the pillars with its blade. Then a massive air blast fired from Aang's palms and knocked the beast into a hillside. At a few swift movements of Aang's hands, a chasm opened from beneath the Balrog, making it fall in. The enraged Avatar, made a large rock slide from above and poured countless large boulders into the chasm. The beast pointlessly struggled against the falling debris, until it was entombed beneath the rubble.

However, the ground began to tremble, fire began to emerge from the enclosed chasm, and a loud roar echoed from beneath. The rock pile exploded into many fiery pieces and the Balrog ascended out of the pit by flapping its massive black wings. Once it landed, the beast roared out of great fury and charged for Aang, with its fiery sword held high in its claws. As the fire demon swung its sword Aang ascended in a spiral of air and bent the wind to slice at the flame sword. The wind slice countered the sword, causing a large burst of air and fire. Then, in the confusion, Aang rose high into the sky and pointed the tips of his fingers above him. Suddenly, lighting began to crack above him. At Aang's command, a bolt of lighting attached to his fingertips and was fired down at the Balrog. The demon bellowed out of great pain as multiple bolts struck its body. Lastly, Aang hurled another bolt that pierced the demon's head. The flame of Udun had ceased roaring; the flames that engulfed its body burnt out, and at last the monstrous beast collapsed.

With the demon defeated, Aang's tattoos and eyes ceased glowing and he himself returned to his original state. A great amount of strain and fatigue came upon his body, causing him to fall from the air. Thankfully, Katara and Sokka ran and caught him before he hit the ground. Katara then propped him up in her arms.

"Aang, are you all right?" asked Katara.

"Yeah." Aang coughed. "But I feel so weak. I need water!"

Katara bent some water and poured it into Aang's mouth. Aang jugged it down his throat, trying to quench his great thirst. Toph, Suki, and Mai soon joined them. However, before they realized it, enemies surrounded the Avatar and his friends. Orcs, easterlings, haradrim, corsairs, trolls, wargs, and a few mumakil positioned themselves all over the rugged landscape. Sauron menacingly loomed over the scene on high ground, with his top commanders at his side.

"I have grown weary of you pests." The Dark Lord cynically said. "This is your end!"


	21. Chapter 21: The Fellowship Returns

XXI. The Fellowship Returns

Aang knew that he and his friends could not defend themselves in their current condition. The battle with the Balrog drained so much of their strength. Even though they had triumphed over such a nightmarish beast, the land of Mordor still held vast numbers of enemies, and the Dark Lord still ranked as an all-powerful ruler. It was clear that they had no chance on their own. Aang finally deemed the time to be right.

Aang pulled himself up from the dirt, walked a few feet away from Katara, and gazed up at the Dark Lord. "Sauron, Dark Lord of Mordor, you have taken everything that was ever precious to not only me, but all the peoples of this world. Our homes, our friends, our loved ones, our freedom. It is the Avatar's duty to ensure that the world remains in balance. But you have desecrated it with your darkness. Given the circumstance I know that I can't do this alone. That is why with the help of my new allies, you will fall!"

He began reciting the words of the ancient tongue of the Valar. In the common language the words are, "In the face of darkness and ultimate defeat, light still remains to cleanse the world. I, the Avatar, am a servant of the world and as a servant I abide to its safety and peace. On this day, in order to ensure that peace and prosperity can be achieved once again, I call upon the Fellowship of the Ring for aid! Hear ME, King of Gondor, Elven Prince of Mirkwood, Dwarf warrior of Erebor, Hobbits of the Shire, and White Wizard of Valinor! Hear ME and stand by my side to confront this evil, ONE LAST TIME!"

Only Sauron knew the words that Aang announced. Deep within his spiked, gargantuan helm, his hellish eyes widened out of a sense of dismay.

"Avatar..." The Dark Lord demanded. "What have you done?!"

Then, the ash clouds began to separate, a hole in the dark sky formed and glowed with light. The light blinded the eyes of the servants of Sauron but Aang's friends were over taken with as sense of purity. What followed next, was a powerful bright beam that was filled with magic shining upon the black soil. A white mist formed along the ground and within the light shadows of eight figures stood. The servants of Sauron and Aang's comrades gaped up at the forms in awe. The Witch King and the other commanders were baffled. As for the Dark Lord himself, bewilderment consumed his mind. The light began to fade and revealed the forms to be none other than the heroes who caused Sauron's downfall: Aragorn, King of Gondor, Legolas, Elven Prince of the Woodland Realm, Gimli, Dwarf warrior of Erebor, Gandalf, the White Wizard, and the four hobbits of the Shire, Frodo Baggins, Sam Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and Pippin Took. The Fellowship of the Ring stood upon the earth once again.

The enemies were overwhelmed at the sight of them. Sokka walked up to Aang in shock. "Aang? What did you do?"

Aang smiled, "Guys, I gladly introduce you to the Fellowship of the Ring." Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai were overcome with surprise and admiration. They remembered the group from the time when Zuko educated them on the history of Middle Earth. With such great heroes standing with them, the comrades of the Avatar felt great reassurance.

The fiery eyes of the Dark Lord were fixed upon Aragorn.

"You!" Sauron stated, pointing his finger.

Aragorn stepped forward, "Dark Lord of Mordor," he replied. "We stand in each other's gaze once again!"

Sauron's memory traveled back to the time where both his eye and Aragorn's met at the Black Gate. His eyes flared with rage from within his helm.

"Sauron!" Gandalf asserted. "It is maddening to accept the thought of dealing with you once again. I had believed, that your evil had been vanquished from this world long ago. Yet through all your cunning and deception, you have brought the need for our strength to turn the tide within your darkness. When this battle is over, your accursed spirit shall never again walk this earth for all the ages to come!"

Sauron's anger shook the very ground of Mordor.

"Never again will I fall to the likes of you!" Sauron fiercely rebounded, causing the air to churn and the ground to quake. "I am the supreme ruler of this world. All life on this earth kneels underneath my dominion. My darkness shall be eternal. All who dare to contest with my will, shall be extinguished by my wrath! Just like YOU!"

The Dark Lord's creatures bared their teeth and weapons, unleashing hateful cries that echoed over miles. Aragorn unsheathed his great sword Anduril, Flame of the West. The rest of the Fellowship soon joined him, unsheathing weapons and taking their stances.

"Destroy them!" Barked the Mouth of Sauron. "Slay them all in the name of Lord Sauron!"

The servants of Mordor broke into a stampede, rampaging along the ground like blood driven beasts.

Raising his double bladed axe high Gimli burst, "I'm going to enjoy this! Onward, my friends, to battle!"

They split up and descended into the heat of battle.

Aragorn raised his great glowing blade, Anduril, Flame of the West, and began to cut down countless enemies. He slashed at them, cut their heads off, and impaled them with his sword. While he was killing countless enemies, one orc attacked in front and another snuck up from behind. But that didn't make a difference, he first made an uppercut slash at the brute in front and jabbed his blade behind him into the orc's diaphragm, without even looking. Next, he dashed forward, with Anduril held high in his hands, into a large party of easterlings and before his enemies knew it, a bright yellow flame flickered on the his blade. Aragorn charged through them with his flame sword and cut them all down with amazing speed leaving a trail of fire behind. Then he spun in a tornado frenzy with his flame sword against many haradrim warriors and each went soaring up in the air, quickly being incinerated with each blow. Once he stopped twirling, two heavily armored trolls came charging toward him, roaring and swinging their massive clubs. When they reached him, Aragorn evaded their swings and cast his curved Elven dagger from its sheath at one troll's throat. The troll ceased breathing and came tumbling down to the ground headfirst. With the first troll down, Aragorn came up against the second. He bypassed the troll's swing and with his flame sword in hand, he made a large upper cut and lower cut within the brute's flesh. The beast fell backward on the ground, with its cuts burning with flame.

Gandalf brought down many dark warriors with his sword Glamdring, the Foe Hammer in his left hand and his white staff in his right. When trolls came for him, the White Wizard released lightning from his palm. The trolls were electrocuted on the spot by the white lightning blast. Then Gandalf found himself surrounded by about a hundred orcs and easterlings. As they lunged for the kill, he rose his staff up high, harnessed magic, and stabbed it into the ground. The stab unleashed a massive bright and powerful shockwave that sent all the enemies flying high in the air. Although he had sent a hundred enemies to their deaths more came. Fifteen corsairs were closing in on him. First he swiped a few with his blade then sent a blue ball of fire from his staff and burned them all. Next, a pack of warg riders strode upon the ground in his direction. Before they reached him, Gandalf pulled his hand back and fired lightning from his hand. The lightning bolts spread throughout the riders, electrocuting all the wargs and their riders.

Legolas' archery skills were amazingly quick, accurate, and lethal. He shot countless arrows with his elven bow at a vast number of orcs. Then, twenty heavily armored uruk-hai charged with their blades and pikes raised. Within a quick motion of his hand, Legolas pulled out an arrow that glowed red and loosed it from the bow. The flaming red arrow soared into the uruks and exploded into flames. The uruks squealed in their burning agony until death had claimed them. Next, Legolas shot a sickly, glowing, green arrow at a small band and upon impact green smoke emerged and consumed them. It was poison; the orcs coughed their black blood out and slowed their movements until they collapsed dead. At last the elf pulled five normal arrows out of his quiver and released them at the same time at five he came upon the urge to fight hand to hand. Legolas whipped out his Elven daggers and struck five orcs. Then the daggers began to twirl in his hands, glowing, and with the speed of light the Elf cut down twelve green skinned orcs.

Amidst striking down enemies as fast as he could count, the Elf caught sight of three mumakil coming their way. With his swift feet he ran out to meet them. As he ran, a warg rider lunged at him. He quickly dodged, shot the rider, and hopped on the warg. While on top of the beast, Legolas drove it toward the mumakil's feet. Once he got close enough, the Elf leaped onto the foot, used his daggers to climb up the beast's leg all the way to the straps that held the war towers, containing haradrim archers and warriors, and cut the straps. The tower rolled off the beast's back and plummeted onto the ground. Then, taking hold of the reigns of the mumakil, Legolas made it crash into the other two. The beasts tumbled upon one another. Before the enormous beasts had a chance to get up, Legolas leaped from head to head sending arrows through their skulls, into their small brains.

Gimli swung his great axe as hard as his arms could swing. The excitement of battle brought about a vast urge for axing as many orcs possible. He body slammed two uruk-hai to the ground and axed them in the gut. Then he got knocked over by another uruk-hai.

"An angry Dwarf is a deadly foe!" Gimli growled while facing up at the ash skinned brute.

The Dwarf sprung up, rammed his head into the brute, forced him to the ground, and brought his axe down into his gut. After he was finished with the scum, he threw smaller axes that hung on his belt at incoming orcs. Then a troll came for him, the troll swung its club but missed him. Gimli rolled behind it, climbed up its back to the top of its head, and split the beast's skull with his double bladed axe. The troll collapsed and the battle, drunk Dwarf hurled himself into a band of orcs. He got to his feet in the middle of the band, raised his axe high, which began to burn with great heat, and brought it down hard to the ground. A roaring fire burst from the impact and incinerated the entire band of orcs. Once he was finished, he charged into more enemies and continued to fight with all his strength.

The four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin jabbed, cut, and threw poison daggers at the enemies. The hobbits' blades glowed green with poison and took four orcs down with each swing. Then they split up. Frodo attacked easterlings, with his glowing blade Sting. Merry and Pippin fought together against haradrim warriors. Sam stabbed and slashed at orcs. Then four trolls appeared and drove them toward a cliff, except for Sam. He climbed the small cliff, which had rocks piled on top of it. Once he reached the top, the large hobbit shoved his weight up against the rock pile and caused a rockslide. Frodo, Merry, and Pippin took cover, while the trolls were crushed. When they met up with one another they continued to journey forward.

They were magnificent. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki, and Mai's mouths gaped wide open at this astounding battle. They had no doubt that the Fellowship of the Ring was strong, but they never thought they could fight as well as this.

"They're incredible!" Sokka expressed.

"All eight of them are capable of taking down so many enemies in just a small amount of time!" Suki admired.

"Yeah. If we didn't have their help we would have been killed!" Mai exclaimed.

The valor, courage, and teamwork, shown by Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin filled the young fighters with inspiration. The great warriors were cutting down the enemy ranks with ease. Countless corpses of orcs, easterlings, haradrim, corsairs, wargs, and trolls laid about the black soil. For the first in a long time, Aang's heart was beating with the promise of hope. He believed that victory could be achieved.

Though many enemies had been cut down, more legions soon arrived, entrapping the Fellowship of the Ring. Back to back the great heroes stood guard against the massive hordes of Mordor.

Then Aragorn raised Anduril high to the sky and chanted, "Spirits of the fallen warriors, hear me now, come back to the world of the living and avenge yourselves! Fight against the dark forces of Sauron one last time!"

Suddenly, the wind began to churn, blowing in all directions. Then a green fog enveloped hundreds of orcs surrounding the Fellowship. The orcs lay dead once the mist cleared and what stood above them made Aang and his friends' hearts skip a beat. In the glow of phantoms, Zuko, Iroh, Piandao, Pakku, Jeong Jeong, Bumi, and all warriors who had perished at the Black Gate stood ready for battle.

Aang's eyes widened in bewilderment. "Impossible."

Mai soon caught sight of Zuko. She tearfully spoke, "It... it can't be."

Aragorn commanded, "Fight my brothers in arms! Fight for honor! Fight for your loved ones! Fight for your world!"

The spirit army harrowed at Aragorn's speech and charged. Spreading out in all directions, the spirits glided through all ranks of the Enemy, cutting them down. The spirits quickly cleared the battlefield and pressed onward through Mordor, leaving the Dark Lord and his commanders to face the heroes alone.


	22. Chapter 22: The Fires of Doom

XXII. The Fires of Doom

Then a loud, frightening cry spread across the field. It filled the gallant fighters' hearts with dread. It had originated from Sauron. The Dark Lord slowly approached their position, with his commanders trailing behind him.

"This battle has gone far enough." Sauron announced. "I will see to it myself, that you are all obliterated by my wrath!"

The great mace that could kill many with a single blow appeared in his right hand and in his left hand his giant black sword came into sight. Both deadly weapons were now gripped in his gauntlets.

The Witch King, the Nazgul, The Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, Ozai stood with him. Aang and his friends met with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Gandalf raised his staff and cast a healing spell on all of them. Their wounds were swept away and their strength had returned. All their eyes met with their enemy's. The battle for good and evil, the battle for the world, the battle for freedom.

Sauron charged and brought his sword down upon Aragorn. Aragorn blocked it with Anduril, but the blow was so powerful that the ground where he stood sunk lower. Aragorn then locked weapons with Sauron, Gandalf met with the Witch King in battle, Legolas took his fight to the Mouth of Sauron, Gimli and Gothmog fought each other, the hobbits, Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Mai met with the other Nazgul, and Aang and Katara fought Ozai.

Though the Fellowship of the Ring and the Avatar's team were great fighters, combating the Dark Lord and his commanders was a much greater challenge. Aragorn was a great warrior, but the strength of Sauron was immense in comparison. Aragorn parried each attack from the Dark Lord's gigantic mace and sword, with Anduril. Aragorn was repeatedly forced back because of the bombardment. Still, he would not let himself give in and continued to press the attack.

Gandalf hurled every offensive spell he knew against the Witch King. Then, when the White Wizard prepared a lightning spell, the Witch King unleashed a shrill cry that seemed to cause the magic within the staff to disappear. Next, the Captain of Despair engulfed his blade in purple flame and stabbed it into the ground, causing the ground beneath Gandalf's feet to blow up. The wizard managed to avoid the dark magic from touching him, but the impact blew him off the ground and against a boulder. Although, his strength was waning because of his opponent's dark powers, Gandalf rose to his feet.

Legolas kept firing arrows, while dodging the Mouth of Sauron's magic blasts. He shot a fire arrow at his target, but the lieutenant blocked it with a dark shield. Then the Mouth of Sauron blasted dark lightning from his palm. Legolas dodged the blast, whipped out his elven daggers, and dashed toward the lieutenant. The lieutenant unsheathed his black sword and locked blades with Legolas. Although Legolas was quick, the Mouth of Sauron blocked each strike as fast as he could.

Gimli had rammed his head into Gothmog's gut and sent the orc general down to the ground. Then he thrust a spear at the dwarf. After Gimli had parried it, Gothmog swung a mace. Gimli blocked it with his double bladed axe. The Dwarf had the orc general where he wanted him.

The hobbits, Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Mai fought as best as they could against the Nazgul. Though it was eight against eight, the fighting skills of the Ringwraiths out weighed their own. The Nazgul held the upper hand.

Aang and Katara made combos against Ozai to block his deadly fire. Even though Ozai was a powerful bender, he was still not a match against the Avatar. Katara then pulled Ozai out from under his feet with water whips. This caused him to fall, enabling Aang to blast him with air into the side of a hill.

"Enough!" Sauron suddenly roared.

With a great force in his mace, Sauron drove it into the ground, releasing a massive, dark shock wave. The Dark Lord's power knocked all heroes far into the air and sent them tumbling in the dirt. When Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, the hobbits, Aang, and his friends got up they had a number of cuts and bruises covering their bodies. The Dark Lord would not allow this to drag on much longer.

"Now I shall finish you all off once and for all!"

Sauron then created a giant tornado within his right hand and column of fire in his left. Next, he combined the two, creating a vortex of flame, and hurled it at all of them. When the flaming tornado reached them a huge explosion erupted. Once the smoke cleared, they all stood within a light shield created by Gandalf that protected them from the brutal attack.

Gandalf released the shield and stated, "Sauron, our strength may be fading, and all hope may soon abandon us. But we shall never be defeated without a fight!"

Sauron's eyes flared from within his helmet.

"In that case, I shall make certain of your deaths."

Water, earth, air, fire, and red lightning began to churn around him. He was preparing to transcend into his elemental giant form. Even though the air around them was bursting because of the great power, Legolas shot an arrow at the finger where the One Ring was. The arrow zoomed toward the finger and shot it off. Sauron screamed in pain as the great power he was building up faded. Then Aang dashed for the finger and caught it before hitting the ground.

Frodo shouted, "Quickly Aang, to Mount Doom hurry!"

Aang got his glider out and headed up towards the fire mountain.

Sauron roared, "Not this time!"

The Dark Lord enveloped into a ball of fire and pursued Aang with great speed. Then everyone including Sauron's commanders rushed after them. The Witch King and the Nazgul summoned their fell beasts, jumped on, and flew towards entrance of the mountain. The Mouth of Sauron and Gothmog were clutched in the claws of one of the Fell Beasts in order to reach the chamber quicker. As for Ozai, he propelled his way up with firebending. Unfortunately for Aang's allies, they were on foot and did not have the means of transportation that their enemies had.

Aang was chased by Sauron in his fire form. As Sauron closed in on him, Aang used what remained of his air bending strength to push him up the crater and drop down into the heart of Mount Doom itself.

The heat of the enormous chamber was far more intense and overwhelming than the heat that was within the smoky air. The structure rumbled like an earthquake and the sound it made was similar to the roar of a great beast. Lava waterfalls poured down into the fiery pit, where anything that fell in could be melted away in an instant. Mount Doom was unlike any volcano Aang had ever seen before.

With the One Ring in his hand, Aang made his way toward the edge. Suddenly, before he realized it, Sauron appeared in front of him, swiped him with his mace, up in the air, and landed on the beginning of the platform. Aang's body was in unbelievable agony. Every bone in his body felt broken and his chest was bloody from the mace's blow. He could not find the strength to get up from the heated floor, while Sauron loomed above him.

Sauron declared, "Never again will I fall. This world is MINE!"

The Dark Lord made his giant, black blade appear in his left hand and brought it down upon Aang. As the massive sword came down, Aragorn appeared and blocked the blade with Anduril. His sudden appearance caught Sauron by surprise. Then, light covered Aang, he could feel energy coursing through his body, every broken bone seemed to be coming back together, and the large bloody wound on his chest disappeared. He managed to rise to his knees. Aang looked behind himself and saw that Gandalf had performed a healing spell on him after teleporting everyone into the chamber. Katara ran to his side and continued to heal him because the spell that Gandalf cast was not enough for a full recovery. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Sokka, Suki, Mai, and Toph surrounded Sauron and attacked.

Then, the Dark Lord spread out his arms and a wave of dark magic burst from his body and drove them all back. As they all blew off the bridge, they jabbed their blades into the rock, securing their survival. However, the Dark Lord's magic left pain similar to sharp blades stuck in their bodies. After that failed attack, from above the crater the Witch King and his Nazgul dropped out of the sky and landed on the platform. The Mouth of Sauron, Gothmog, and Ozai came from outside the entrance to join the fight.

While Katara healed Aang's injuries Ozai came and shot fire at her.

"Out of my way!" shouted Katara.

"Never!" yelled Ozai.

Once the others had climbed back up, fighting erupted between the champions of good and evil. Sauron and Aragorn's weapons clashed, Gandalf dueled the Witch King, Legolas loosed arrows at the Mouth of Sauron, Gimli swung his axe at Gothmog, and the hobbits and Aang's friends met with the eight Nazgul.

As Ozai released fire on Katara, Gimli rammed into him. Ozai was knocked to the side of the bridge.

"I bet you've never faced a dwarf before firebender!" Gimli challenged.

Ozai caught his breath, got back up, and fought Gimli along side Gothmog.

Fighting two enemies was not a problem for Gimli since he could handle Gothmog easily, but Ozai kept shooting fire at him. The Nazgul were beating the hobbits and Aang's friends. Legolas repeatedly shot at the Mouth of Sauron, however he charged at Legolas and bashed him with his staff. Gandalf continued to fight the Witch King until the Witch King stabbed his sword into the ground again and from beneath Gandalf came dark magic that blasted him over the Witch King's head and onto the stone bridge.

As for Aragorn, his sword and Sauron's sang with one another. Each hit that Sauron delivered with his weapons against Aragorn's was a powerful blow with the strength of ten men. Yet Aragorn stood his ground and locked his sword with Sauron's. Surprisingly, Sauron's mace appeared in his free hand and bashed Aragorn to the ground. Aragorn's body was throbbing from the attack. He reached for his sword but Sauron pinned his arm with his giant blade. Aragorn tried to ignore the agonizing pain, while he lay completely immobile.

In the confusion Aang had crawled his way to the edge and reached his arm over the chasm to drop the ring. Sauron took notice and summoned a huge fiery boulder from beneath the ledge and crashed it into Aang. An explosion from the impact sent Aang flying high over the edge into solid rock and tumbled onto another ledge that lay across the chasm. Aang's agony was unbelievable, his body was burnt, and he could barely move a muscle, which meant he could not get close enough to drop the ring.

Sauron then lifted himself off of the platform with earth bending and floated towards Aang to reclaim the One Ring of power. Aang's eyes widened with fear and tried to crawl but could not. Then he noticed a small fissure right next to him that poured all the way down to the bottom. That is when he knew what he had to do. Aang stretched his hand holding the One Ring over the fissure and hit with all of his earth bending might. Upon impact, the small fissure was crushed and lava came spilling out. It ate Aang's hand and burned it off. He let out a scream of unbearable pain throughout the volcano. However, since his hand had been taken by the lava so had the One Ring.

"Nooooooooo!" Sauron angrily screamed as he watched the lava carry his ring down to the bottom and melt in the fires from whence it came.

Suddenly, Sauron's body glowed red and he let out a monstrous cry that spread throughout all of Mordor. The smoke and winds in the mountain churned around him. The burning light grew even more intense. Finally the Dark Lord exploded. The shards of his armor disintegrated into oblivion and nothing remained of his body. Sauron was no more.

The Witch King and his Nazgul let out screeching cries and burst into flames. One by one all of the Dark Lord's commanders burned away. Only the champions of good remained, victory was their's at last.

The lava in Mount Doom soon began to rise with great speed and the structure of Mount Doom was collapsing.

"Out before it blows up!" Aragorn commanded.

Katara and Sokka carried Aang and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them out of the crumbling chamber. The lava followed them out and when all hope was thought to be lost Gandalf created a white sphere around them. The lava splashed off the shield. For the meantime they were safe as they watched as Sauron's dark kingdom of Mordor fall apart.

The great fortress of Barad-Dur came crashing down to the ground. Mount doom sunk into the earth along with every other mountain or ravine. The surviving orcs and all other creatures were falling into cracks within the earth. Then they saw on the horizon that the darkness that consumed the world was fading. The lava transformed into blue waters once again, the hard rocky ground turned into green grass, and the toxic sky changed to clear blue again. All over the world this reparation spread. Dark fortresses built to house evil forces were destroyed along with all their inhabitants. While the nightmare was vanishing, Aang and his friends' eyes let out tears of happiness. The evil of the Dark Lord Sauron that plagued the world was at last leaving forever.


	23. Chapter 23: Balance Restored

XXIII. Balance Restored

The ground where they stood soon transformed into a meadow. Realizing this, Gandalf broke the shield because they would no longer need it. They welcomed the cool breeze, the soft touch of grass, and the warmth of the sun on their faces. Katara hugged Aang so tight that he nearly fainted. Soon Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai joined them in a group hug. They had succeeded; the world was at peace once again.

After Katara wrapped Aang's burnt limb, he walked up to Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin and bowed in gratitude. His friends also joined him in bowing their heads to the Fellowship.

"Thank you." Aang spoke. "Thank you ever so much for your help. If you had not come we would have been lost."

Gandalf put his hand on Aang's shoulder. "It was not through our strength that won this victory. It is because; you found the strength to never give up. You stayed on the path of believing that all could be put to right. It is because you stayed true to your heart, that this world could once again be saved."

"If you stay true to your friends and never lose faith in one another, any obstacle can be overcome." Frodo stated.

Aang bowed his head again in agreement.

Then in the passing of small breeze Zuko and all the spirits of Aang's comrades appeared in the green meadow. In Zuko's misty, phantom hands was his daughter fast asleep.

"Zuko!" Mai gasped as she ran to him.

Zuko smiled, "She's a beautiful girl Mai. She will be a good influence on the world's future."

Mai reached out to hold him in her arms, but she passed through her beloved's body as if her were wind.

"I'm sorry Mai, I wish I could stay. But my time in the world of the living has long since passed. I must return to the Spirit World."

"The same goes for the rest of us," said Sokka and Katara's father.

"Dad!" exclaimed Sokka.

Hokoda of the Southern Water Tribe stood amongst the spirits no longer a frightening spectre of the Dead Marshes. His body was completely healthy as if he was actually alive.

"I am now free of haunting this world. Thanks to all of you I can now move on in peace."

Sokka and Katara shed tears for their father's departure, but they also felt reassured that he could rest in peace.

"We understand Dad," replied Katara.

"I'll give your love to your mother when I see her."

Suddenly, all the spirits began to fade away. Iroh, Pakku, Hokoda, Bumi, Jeong Jeong, Piandao, and the rest of the warrior spirits dispersed into a gentle breeze. Zuko also began to fade and handed his son over to Mai.

"My friends," smiled Zuko. "I had every confidence that you would would prevail. Though I won't be around, I will always watch over you. I'll leave you all to rebuild our home."

"Of course," Aang nodded.

"Oh, one last thing." Zuko placed his fading hand on his daughter's forehead. "Her name is Izumi, Mai."

With those words Zuko vanished into the breeze that roamed the valley, returning to the Spirit World. The infant Izumi soon woke up and smiled up at her mother. Mai rocked her back and forth with a feeling of relief.

Aang walked over to her. "It's a good name."

Main nodded.

"Well our work is now finished." Gandalf spoke. Soon the Fellowship began to fade. "We are no longer meant for the realm of the living. We leave for the Spirit World with great reassurance knowing that the protection of this world is in your hands young Avatar."

"Indeed. I will devote myself to its reconstruction and its peaceful future."

Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin smiled at their happiness. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Mai bowed before them in gratitude.

"My friends, there is no need for that. Everything has been restored to order and we take our leave. May you forever enjoy the days of peace," spoke Gandalf.

With those words of farewell, the Fellowship of the Ring faded away. Returning to their rest.

Later that month Aang and his comrades traveled all over the world to rebuild. The humans who survived the outcome were forever grateful to them. However, the Avatar and his friends looked at what a year of darkness had done to the lands of the Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. Villages lay in ruins and the palaces were destroyed. So they split up to rebuild. Mai returned to the Fire Nation with her daughter to act as Lady regent. Katara traveled to the Northern Water Tribe to reestablish the waterbenders' way of life. Sokka decided to return to the Southern Water Tribe with Suki in order to assert himself as the new chief. Toph traveled to Ba Sing Se to aid in rebuilding the city and Aang journeyed to what remained of Omashu to assist what remained of its people.

Each of them aided and conducted the reconstruction of the Four Nations. After half of a year passed the cities were finally rebuilt and life was returning to the surrounding lands. With the rebuilding complete, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph left their positions to join Mai in the Fire Nation.

The royal city had been made much grander than before. Life returned to the city and the palace shimmered in the sunlight. Mai had prepared the biggest feast the Fire Nation had ever hosted. The new rulers of the Nations were invited to share the great celebration. They all held their cups high to Aang, showing him their gratitude. The banquet would be dedicated to the new era that all nations would share in the days of peace.

 **The End**


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